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THE 

CAMP FIRE GIRLS 

BY 

THE BLUE LAGOON 


Tru 


©* (^'Mr'trvv^ou^: 

MARGARET VANDERCOOK 

n 

Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red 
Cross Girls” Series, etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO. 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright 1921, by 

The John C. Winston Company 


K" 7 



°~c 


STORIES ABOUT CAMP FIRE GIRLS 

List of Titles in the Order , of their Publication 

The Camp Fire Girls at Sunrise Hill 

The Camp Fire Girls Amid the Snows 

The Camp Fire Girls in the Outside World 

The Camp Fire Girls Across the Sea 

The Camp Fire Girls' Careers 

The Camp Fire Girls in After Years 

The Camp Fire Girls at the Edge of the Desert 

The Camp Fire Girls at the End of the Trail 

The Camp Fire Girls Behind the Lines 

The Camp Fire Girls on the Field of Honor 

The Camp Fire Girls in Glorious France 

The Camp Fire Girls in Merrie England 

The Camp Fire Girls at Half Moon Lake 

The Camp Fire Girls by the Blue Lagoon 




APR -6 *23 

©CU704064 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


I. The City of Towers ... 7 

II. The Generations .... 23 

III. Future Plans 41 

IV. Natural History 56 

V. Renunciation 68 

VI. The Box Party 75 

VII. The Apartment 90 

VIII. The Enigma 100 

IX. The House by the Blue 

Lagoon . . 114 

X. One Night 131 

XI. The Same Evening . . . . 151 

XII. The Camp Fire 168 

XIII. The Following Day . . . 181 

XIV. An Interview 188 

XV. Twisted Coils 196 

XVI. The Disappearance . . . 210 

XVII. The Return 218 

XVIII. The Eternal Way .... 228 


( 5 ) 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Gill Rejoined Him and Was At- 
tempting to Fix Her Hair Frontispiece 

PAGE 

“My Dear Mother, What a Senti- 
mentalist You Are” 89 

“I Wonder if I Shall Ever Make 
You Understand How Dull You 
Are on One Particular Subject” 139 

“I Was Never So Disappointed in 
Any Human Being in My Life, 
Sally, As I Am in You” 191 


The Camp Fire Girls hy 
the Blue Lagoon 


CHAPTER I 

The City of Towers 

O NE afternoon in October two girls 
were walking down Fifth Avenue. 
They were strangers in New York. 
One of them, a tall, fair girl, dressed in a 
dark blue tailor suit, furs, and a close-fitting 
velvet hat, was several years older than her 
companion, who was small with dark eyes, 
a sallow skin and an oddly unconventional 
appearance which seemed to accord with 
her costume, a brown serge cape, a gown of 
the same material and an old-fashioned 
poke bonnet of flowered silk. 

In another hour the shops would close 
and the crowds come pouring forth into 
the streets. 


( 7 ) 


8 


BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“Are you tired, Elce? I had forgotten 
you were never in New York save the one 
day when you landed. The hotel is only a 
few blocks further on, yet perhaps it might 
have been wiser not to have attempted to 
walk from the station.” 

Bettina Graham, who was carrying a 
small suitcase, made an effort to slacken 
her pace, her companion with quicker, 
shorter steps keeping close beside her. 

“No, I am not tired,” she answered, “it 
is only the noise that confuses me. I never 
could have imagined anything like it. Yet 
I think I once dreamed of a city like this, of 
tall towers and streets that are ravines 
between high cliffs, with the same bright 
blue sky overhead.” 

The older girl smiled. 

“You are a fanciful person, but dream- 
ing in New York is a dangerous pastime, 
where one must watch every foot of the 
way.” 

The afternoon was warm and brilliant, 
with only a faint suggestion of frost, the 
shop windows filled with brilliant displays, 
the streets crowded with automobiles. 

Bettina’s expression changed, her eyes 


THE CITY OF TOWERS 


9 


shone, her lips parted slightly as the color 
swept into her cheeks. 

“New York is fascinating, isn’t it? One 
forgets how fascinating even when one has 
been away only a short time. I do hope I 
may be able to spend the winter here! 
But for you, Elce, who have lived almost 
your entire life in the country, it must be a 
wholly new experience. Well, we are both 
runaways this afternoon! 

“There is Mrs. Burton’s hotel just around 
the corner of the next block. At this hour, 
between five and six o’clock, she must be 
at home.” 

Unconsciously Bettina began to move 
more rapidly, with the appearance of a 
runner whose goal is nearly in sight. 

“I’ll send up our cards and she will see 
us at once. I am sorry our train was two 
hours late. I presume I ought to have 
telegraphed. One does not enjoy the idea 
of being alone in New York.” Bettina 
laughed. “Don’t be troubled, there is not 
the faintest chance of such a disaster. Now 
that our Camp Fire guardian has returned to 
the stage and her play become one of the 
greatest successes of the winter, I suppose 


10 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


she does have to excuse herself to a good 
many persons, yet she will scarcely decline 
to see us.” 

Not talking to her companion so much 
as to herself, Bettina at the same time was 
studying the faces of the passers-by, divided 
between her interest in New York, the con- 
tagion of the brilliant autumn day and her 
undoubted nervousness over some personal 
problem. 

Reaching the desired hotel, after an 
instant’s hesitation, the two girls entered, 
Bettina feeling an unaccustomed awkward- 
ness and embarrassment. Notwithstanding 
the fact that she had traveled many miles in 
the past few years in her own country and 
in Europe, this was the first occasion when 
she had been without a chaperon. 

Declining to surrender her suitcase, Bet- 
tina asked the clerk to announce her arrival 
to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burton. In a 
measure she felt prepared to have her 
request refused, as Mrs. Burton would 
probably wish to be excused to visitors at 
this hour. She meant to be insistent, even 
if necessary to telephone her own name. 

The clerk shook his head. 


THE CITY OF TOWERS 11 


“Sorry, miss, but Captain and Mrs. 
Burton are not in; they left this hotel four 
or five days ago and took an apartment of 
their own.” 

“You don’t mean they are no longer 
living here?” 

To her own ears Bettina’s voice sounded 
more startled than it should. “Then will 
you be kind enough to give me their new 
address, as I wish to find them at once.” 

She thought she saw a faint look of 
sympathy and regret on the clerk’s face. 

“Sorry again, but Captain Burton left 
strict orders their new address was to be 
given to no one. They do not wish to see 
strangers. Their friends they intend notify- 
ing themselves. Perhaps you want Mrs. 
Burton to help you to go on the stage, so 
many young women call on her for this 
purpose and she has been giving up so much 
time to them, Captain Burton does not 
wish her to be disturbed in the future.” 

Bettina flushed and frowned. 

“No, I am not looking for work and I 
am not a stranger to Mrs. Burton. She 
and Captain Burton would wish you to tell 
me where they are living. Mrs. Burton is 


12 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


a kind of relative, or at least she is an 
intimate friend.” 

The clerk smiled. 

“That is what everyone says. I regret 
not being able to oblige you, but orders are 
orders.” 

As if Bettina were no longer demanding 
his attention he turned to some one who 
had been waiting and was now inquiring 
for a room. 

Wishing to discuss a question of great 
importance to her own happiness with her 
Camp Fire guardian, Bettina had run away 
from home. The act was not premeditated. 
When she made her sudden decision her 
mother and father chanced to be spending 
a few days away from Washington. Nor 
would they have objected to her journey, 
save to prefer that she have an older com- 
panion than the little English girl, Elce, 
originally known as Chitty, whom the Camp 
Fire girls had known during the summer in 
“Merrie England.” 

Bettina had not seen her Camp Fire 
guardian in six months, not since their part- 
ing at Half Moon Lake. Of late, not once, 
but many times her mother had announced 


THE CITY OF TOWERS 13 


that she would like the benefit of Polly 
Burton's advice on the question which 
divided them. 

So Bettina suddenly had set out on her 
pilgrimage to New York with this end in 
view. To arrive unheralded and not find 
Mrs. Burton, to be compelled to spend the 
night with Elce as her only companion 
would but deepen her mother's impression 
that she possessed neither the judgment nor 
experience necessary for the independence 
she desired. 

Nothing would be gained by looking 
inside her pocket book. She knew exactly 
the amount of money it contained. 

After paying for her own and Elce's 
tickets and an expensive lunch on the train 
she had counted it carefully. Seven dollars 
and forty cents then had seemed a sufficient 
amount when she expected to be with her 
Camp Fire guardian in a few hours; it was 
woefully insufficient to meet the expenses 
of tw T o persons in New York. 

There was one friend to whom she might 
appeal, but this would make her present 
difficulty with her mother the greater. 
Surely there must be some method of dis- 


14 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


covering her Camp Fire guardian, if only 
she were not so stupid that she had no idea 
what to do next. In any case she would 
not remain longer in the lobby of the hotel 
and she declined to question the clerk a 
third time. In the street she would receive 
fresh inspiration. 

She and Elce left the hotel. 

Outdoors no new idea immediately 
occurred to her. It seemed strange that 
her mother had not mentioned Mrs. Bur- 
ton’s change of address; as they never 
failed to write each other once a week, 
undoubtedly she must know. Then Bet- 
tina recalled the fact that she and her 
mother had had but little to say to each 
other of late, since no matter upon what 
subject they started to talk, always the 
conversation veered to the difference be- 
tween them. 

“ Don’t be worried, dear, I shall be able 
to think what to do in a few moments,” 
Bettina remarked, with more courage than 
conviction. “ It was ridiculous for the hotel 
management to decline to give me Tante’s 
change of address. She and Captain Bur- 
ton will both be annoyed; the clerk should 


THE CITY OF TOWERS 15 


have known they might wish some excep- 
tion to be made to their order.” 

Elce nodded, regretting that she was 
unable to offer any advice and yet perfectly 
content to abide by Bettina’s judgment. 
In a strange and unfamiliar world, Bettina 
was her one anchor. Sent to a boarding 
school, from loneliness and longing for the 
outdoors, Elce had fallen ill, and unable 
to continue at school, Bettina’s home had 
been her refuge. 

At present the younger girl was finding it 
difficult to keep her attention concentrated 
upon the object of their quest, the city 
noises so excited and confused her. With 
her strange musical gift she long had been 
able to reproduce the country sounds, the 
singing of certain birds, the wind in the 
trees, now she seemed faintly aware of some 
hidden harmony amid the thousand dis- 
cords of the city streets. 

Again her companion brought her back 
from her day dreaming. 

“I believe I will look in the telephone 
book, as it is just possible Tante may have 
kept her former telephone number and had 
it transferred to her new address. If you 


16 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


do not mind waiting, here is a public tele- 
phone booth/ 7 

Five minutes later with her expression a 
little more cheerful, Bettina rejoined the 
younger girl. 

“I have discovered an apartment in Fifth 
Avenue which may be Tante’s. At least it 
is occupied by a Mr. and Mrs. Richard 
Burton. As no one answered the telephone, 
suppose we take the Fifth Avenue bus and 
see if by a stroke of good fortune we have 
located the right place. I do hope so. If 
not, I suppose we can find a quiet hotel and 
spend the night there, or if not go to a 
Y. W. C. A. and explain our difficulty. In 
the morning I fear we must return to 
Washington and there humbly inquire for 
Tante’s address. I might telegraph of 
course, but as mother and father are not at 
home, to find we have vanished before they 
receive the letter I left for them, will annoy 
and frighten them. Heigh-ho, it is a 
puzzling world, Elce dear; when I thought 
I was attempting a simple journey for a 
good cause here I am in an entirely unex- 
pected tangle!” 

In spite of her uncertainty, for she had 


THE CITY OF TOWERS 17 


but little assurance of finding her guardian, 
Bettina could not fail to enjoy the ride up 
Fifth Avenue in the crowded bus. Not yet 
dark, still here and there lights were shining 
in the office buildings, while the throngs of 
people hurrying home grew constantly 
larger. The bus passed the low, classic 
stone building she recognized as the New 
York Public Library, then a group of mag- 
nificent houses and hotels and the entrance 
to Central Park. 

At Sixty-first Street and Fifth Avenue 
Bettina and her companion dismounted. 

Half a block further on they entered a 
handsome apartment building. 

“Will you telephone up and ask either 
Mr. or Mrs. Richard Burton to see Miss 
Bettina Graham," Bettina asked the eleva- 
tor boy. “I won't give your name, Elce; 
it is better that I explain later and the two 
names might be confusing," she whispered, 
more uneasy than she cared to confess even 
to herself. 

The reply brought a flush of color to 
Bettina’s cheeks. She was to “come up at 
once." 

“I am afraid I am a good deal relieved. 


18 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


In truth I am so tired I shall tumble into 
bed as soon as dinner is over and not try to 
have a long talk with Tante before morning. 
Probably she would prefer me to wait, as 
she will soon be leaving for the theater. 
I hope her apartment is not very small, but 
in any case she will have to find room for 
us to-night,” Bettina managed to confide 
on the way up to the fifth floor. 

The moment she had rung the bell, the 
door opened. 

Bettina and Elce found themselves con- 
fronting a young man of about eighteen or 
nineteen years of age. 

“ Won’t you come in? I believe you 
wish to see my mother. I did not catch 
your name, but she will be at home in a few 
moments. The apartment has been deserted 
all afternoon, but I am sure she won’t be 
much longer away.” 

An absurd instant Bettina forgot her 
dignity and the number of her years and 
suffered an impulse to shed tears. She was 
tired and it was late. She felt the responsi- 
bility for her companion. Of course she 
should not have rushed to New York in 
this impetuous fashion without her mother’s 


THE CITY OF TOWERS 19 


knowledge, or informing her Camp Fire 
guardian of her intention. 

“ You are very kind. I am sorry to have 
troubled you, but it is not your mother I 
am looking for. I was afraid I was making 
a mistake. I am seeking for another Mrs. 
Richard Burton and merely hoped that 
this might prove to be her address.” 

“You are convinced it is not.” The 
young fellow’s manner was so kind that 
Bettina felt slightly less depressed. “Sup- 
pose you tell me something of the Mrs. 
Burton you do wish to find, give me some 
kind of a clue and I may be able to help 
you.” 

“Well, I scarcely know how to explain. 
I came to New York under the impression 
that Mr. and Mrs. Burton were at a hotel 
where I know they have been for a number 
of months and unexpectedly learned they 
had moved.” 

“Surely you could have inquired where 
they have gone!” 

Scarcely conscious of how cross and tired 
she appeared, Bettina frowned. 

“Oh, of course I inquired, but the hotel 
clerk refused to inform me. Mrs. Burton’s 


20 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


play this winter is a great success and I 
suppose so many people have called on her 
that she felt obliged to refuse to permit her 
address to be given to strangers, and I was 
unable to convince the clerk I was an old 
friend.” 

Bettina and Elce were about to turn 
away. 

“Do you mean you are trying to discover 
the Mrs. Burton who is Polly O’Neill 
Burton, and is acting in the new play 
known as ‘A Tide in the Affairs’? I saw 
it only a few nights ago. Why do you not 
go to her theater and inquire where she 
lives. The theater is at Forty-seventh and 
Broadway. If you do not receive the 
information you could wait until Mrs. 
Burton arrives. I wish you would allow 
my mother to go with you. If I were only 
another girl I might be useful. As I am 
not, I don’t dare propose to accompany 
you. But there are two of you, so I suppose 
you will be all right, although I don’t like 
the idea of your going to a theater at this 
hour alone.” 

Bettina smiled, forgetting in her evident 
relief to be as conventional as was usual 
with her. 


THE CITY OF TOWERS 21 


“I am very much obliged to you. I 
don’t see why I did not think of your sug- 
gestion myself. There is no reason to 
trouble you any further. Of course yours 
is the proper solution of our difficulty, I 
knew there must be one if I could only 
discover it. Good-by and thank you.” 

An hour later Bettina Graham and Elce 
were entering an old house in Gramercy 
Park which recently had been made over 
into apartments. And within a few mo- 
ments Mrs. Burton’s arms were about 
Bettina. 

“My dear, how lovely it is to see you 
after so long! But what has brought you 
here at this hour without letting me know? 
Surely nothing has happened to Betty or 
to you! You have not come to tell me 
your mother is ill and wants me?” 

Bettina shook her head. 

“No, dear, there is no reason to be un- 
easy. I simply wish to talk over a question 
with you, partly because you are my Camp 
Fire guardian, but more I suppose because 
you are yourself. I left Washington sud- 
denly and did not think it worth while to 
telegraph. You see I did not dream you 


22 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


had moved, or that I would have any diffi- 
culty in discovering you. But let me tell 
you the whole story in the morning. Elce 
and I are tired and hungry. Can you find 
a place for us?” 

“ Don’t be absurd, Bettina. Think, 
dear, I have not seen one of my Camp Fire 
girls in six months! Come and let us find 
Richard, he is in the drawing-room; then 
we will have dinner as I must be off to the 
theater soon afterwards. We can have a 
long, uninterrupted talk after breakfast 
tomorrow.” 


CHAPTER II 


The Generations 

— ten o’clock the next morning Bet- 



tina and Mrs. Burton were in her 


^ small sitting-room with the door 
closed. 

The room was characteristic of its owner 
— filled with warm, soft colors in shades of 
rose and blue, a few beautiful pieces of 
furniture, a few photographs, two exquisite 
paintings on the wall. 

In a large chair before the fire, with a 
small table drawn up beside her, Mrs. 
Burton had just finished breakfast and was 
reading her mail, while Bettina wandered 
about examining the rosewood desk, the 
pictures, dipping her nose into a blue bowl 
filled with violets which had arrived not a 
quarter of an hour before and which Bet- 
tina herself had arranged. 

“I have a letter from your mother, 
Princess; she is not writing from Washing- 
ton and has not yet heard you are with me. 


( 23 ) 


24 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


However, she says she wishes that we could 
have a talk together, ” Mrs. Burton re- 
marked, dropping into the fanciful title the 
Camp Fire girls had bestowed upon Bettina 
Graham years before, and which they now 
only used occasionally. 

“Come and make your confession, dear, 
for besides being by nature curious I can’t 
help being troubled. Surely, Bettina, you 
have not been falling in love with some one 
whom your mother does not approve! If 
so, I am going to be equally difficult. When 
I became your Camp Fire guardian long 
ago, and you were all small girls, I never 
considered the responsibilities that your 
growing up would thrust upon me, and 
have often thought of resigning the honor 
since.” 

Bettina came and stood before the fire 
with her hands clasped in front of her and 
looking down at the older woman, who was 
gazing up at her half smiling and half 
frowning. 

“I don’t see what especial difference your 
resigning as our Camp Fire guardian would 
make, Tante. We would all continue to 
come to you with our problems and you 


THE GENERATIONS 


25 


would be wounded and offended should we 
choose any one else. It is true most of us 
are growing rather old for the Camp Fire, 
and yet it has become so important a part 
of our lives no one of us would dream of 
giving it up. By the way, you are looking 
wonderfully well, as if your work were 
agreeing with you better than I thought 
possible.” 

“Yes, I am well, thank you. Is it so 
difficult to confide what you came to New 
York to tell me? I don’t like to think of 
your search for me yesterday and the possi- 
bility that you might not have found me. 
When Captain Burton, believing I was 
seeing too many people, left the order at 
the hotel I was afraid that some one might 
come seeking me whom I should regret 
missing. Won’t you sit down?” 

Bettina shook her head. 

“No, I would rather not. Somehow it is 
harder to begin my story than I dreamed! 
You see, I want so much to have you feel 
as I do about what I am going to tell you, 
since it means my whole life, and yet I am 
dreadfully afraid you won’t. As you know, 
mother and I have disagreed about many 


26 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


small matters since I was a little girl. I 
was obstinate, I suppose, and she never has 
wholly recovered from her disappointment 
that I am so unlike her in my disposition 
and tastes. In the past father and I have 
seemed to understand each other, until 
now when he too is not in .sympathy with 
me. Oh, I realize I am coming to my 
point slowly, but you must let me try and 
tell you in my own fashion. You care so 
much for mother I fear your affection for 
her may prejudice you against me.” 

“Isn’t that a strange speech, Bettina, as 
if I did not care for you as well, and as if 
there could be any division of interest 
between your mother and you?” 

The Camp Fire guardian spoke slowly, 
studying Bettina closely. More than she 
realized, in the past six months Bettina had 
changed; she looked older and more serious 
and did not appear in especially good 
health. She had grown thinner. Under 
her eyes were shadows and about her lips 
discontented lines. 

With the first suggestion of criticism her 
manner had altered. 

Years before when Bettina was much 


THE GENERATIONS 


27 


younger, during the first months as Sun- 
rise Camp Fire guardian, Mrs. Burton had 
not understood Bettina’s reserve, the little 
coldness which made her apparently express 
less affection than the other girls. Later, 
when this proved to be more shyness than 
coldness, she had come to believe that, 
although Bettina did not care for many per- 
sons, her affections were deep and abiding 
and that between them lay a friendship as 
strong as was possible between a girl and a 
so much older woman. 

“Yes, Bettina has altered more than I 
dreamed,” she reflected. 

“I am sorry to hear you say, Tante, that 
mother and I cannot have an interest apart, 
because that is exactly what has occurred,” 
Bettina announced. “We have differed, 
we do still differ upon a question of such 
importance that I doubt if our old relation 
can ever be exactly the same. Of course I 
care for mother as much as I ever cared, 
although she declines to believe it. She 
already has said that her affection for me 
is not the same.” 

“Nonsense, Bettina,” Mrs. Burton 
answered. “Please tell me what you mean 


28 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


more clearly and be prepared to have me 
frank with you. If you feel you will be 
angry unless I agree with you, my opinion 
will not be of value.” 

“Oh, I am accustomed to everybody’s 
being frank in their disapproval of me 
whenever they hear what I wish to do. I 
do not expect you to agree with me, Tante, 
but I did hope you would listen to my side 
of the question and not think me altogether 
selfish and inconsiderate, which is the 
family point of view at present.” 

In Bettina’s manner there was a subtle 
change, her tone less self-assured, her expres- 
sion showing more appeal and less challenge. 

In the same instant Mrs. Burton appre- 
ciated that to fail Bettina now was to fail 
Bettina’s mother as well, even to end the 
long friendship upon which they both 
depended. Beneath Bettina’s assumption 
of hardness and wilfulness, she was sin- 
cerely troubled. Moreover, she was facing 
some decision vital to her future. 

“Come and sit down beside me, dear, 
you look so tall and old towering above me. 
And suppose we do not presume in the 
beginning that we are going to misunder- 


THE GENERATIONS 


29 


stand each other. You want to confide in 
me and I am glad you do; now go on and 
I shall not interrupt.” 

At the change in her Camp Fire guar- 
dian’s manner, Bettina’s face softened, she 
seemed younger and gentler. Sitting down 
on a low chair she leaned forward, placing 
her clasped hands in the older woman’s lap 
and gazing directly at her with eyes that 
were clear and gallant, even if they were a 
little obstinate and cold. 

Mrs. Burton experienced a sensation of 
relief. In Bettina’s opposition to her 
mother there could be nothing seriously 
wrong. 

She began to speak at once: 

“ Perhaps my confession is not so dread- 
ful as you fear, Tante. The unfortunate 
thing is that mother and I cannot seem to 
agree and that we have argued the question 
so many times until of late we have not 
only argued but quarreled. Well, I shall 
begin at the beginning! When we said 
good-by to one another at Tahawus cabin,* 
I remained at home in Washington for only 
a few weeks and then mother and I opened 

* See “Camp Fire Girls at Half Moon Lake”. 


30 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


our summer house. We both wrote you 
that she and father and Tony and Mar- 
guerite Arnot and I spent several perfect 
months together motoring and sailing and 
swimming with one another and with the 
people who came to see us. David Hale 
came now and then, and Tony’s college 
friends, besides Washington friends and 
Sally and Alice Ashton for a few days. 
There was only one small difficulty. I be- 
came intimate with an older woman who 
was boarding not far away. Mother did 
not consider her particularly desirable. She 
was polite to her as she is to most people 
and did not really object to Miss Merton 
until she began to feel that she was having 
more influence over me than she liked. 
Miss Merton is a settlement worker and 
used to tell me of her life and the people 
she is thrown with and the help she is able 
to give them. I found the account of her 
work very fascinating, until mother began 
to feel I was neglecting my family and 
preferring Miss Merton’s society. This 
was not true; I did not care so much for 
Miss Merton herself, although I do admire 
her. It was her experiences among the 


THE GENERATIONS 


31 


poor which interested me so keenly; the 
clubs and classes and the nursing and the 
effort to teach our immigrants more of the 
spirit and opportunities of the United 
States.” 

“ Yes, I know, my dear, social settlement 
work is not a new discovery. Was it to 
you? What in the world can this have to 
do with you? Surely your mother did not 
oppose your friendship with this Miss Mer- 
ton to such an extent that you have made 
a tragedy of it!” 

“No, of course not. What happened 
was just this. I became so interested in 
social settlement work that I have decided 
it is the work to which I wish to devote my 
life. I thought over the question for weeks 
and then I spoke to mother. I told her 
that I could not possibly do what she 
desired for me and make my debut in 
Washington society this winter. The very 
idea makes me wretched! I assured her 
she could not realize what an utter waste 
of time a society life appears to me. Be- 
sides, I am not in any way fitted for it. I 
asked her to allow me to spend this winter 
studying social settlement work. Then if I 


32 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


found I could be useful I would choose it 
as my life work. You know I never have 
felt that I wished to marry and for the last 
two years, when we were not busy with 
the reconstruction work in France I have 
been more restless than any one realized. 
I must find my own road, yet I did not 
know in what direction it lay.” 

“Yes, well, go on, Bettina,” Mrs. Burton 
urged, smiling a little inwardly and yet 
conscious of Bettina’s immense seriousness, 
which made her egotism pardonable. 

“Well, mother at first simply declined to 
pay any attention to what I told her. 
Afterwards when she began to see that I 
was in earnest she declined to have me 
mention the subject to her again. She 
announced that her plans were made; I 
was to make my debut early in October 
and to spend the winter at home. She 
declared that social settlement work should 
be left to older people and to girls who had 
fewer opportunities. She said other things 
of course, but the important fact is that 
she refuses to permit me the choice of my 
own life. Because she cares for society 
and people and being beautiful and admired 


THE GENERATIONS 


33 


is no reason why I should care for the same 
things. If I were older I should do as I 
like. Miss Merton has charge of a settle- 
ment house on the east side in New York 
and would take me in to live with her.” 

Bettina put up her hands to her flushed 
cheeks. 

“I suppose this sounds as if I did not care 
in the least for what mother wishes, and 
yet I do. I am sorry to disappoint her; I 
wish I had been what she desired. Yet I 
cannot for that reason change my own 
nature and my own inclinations. Do please 
say something, Tante; it is not like you to 
remain silent so long.” 

“I did not wish to interrupt you and I 
am feeling sorry for Betty.” 

“ Sorry for mother? Of course I expected 
you would be; everybody is sorry for her. 
They always have been sorry that she 
should have a daughter who has neither her 
beauty, nor charm, nor sweetness; the fact 
that I am a failure in society and wish to 
lead my own life is only one thing more. 
You need not for a moment suppose that 
the sympathy is not all with mother. I 
regret having troubled you. I thought when 


34 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


you were a girl your family and friends 
were bitterly opposed to your going on the 
stage and that regardless of them you did 
the thing you wished. But you are a 
genius and have proved your right to do 
as you like. I understand that makes all 
the difference in the world. It even justifies 
sacrificing other people.” 

Hurt and angry, and not sure of her own 
position, Bettina felt the common impulse 
to strike at some one else. The moment 
after her final speech she was sorry to have 
made it. 

“Have I sacrificed other people to have 
my own way, Bettina? I wonder? If you 
mean that I returned to the stage in opposi- 
tion to Aunt Patricia’s wish, it is true,” 
Mrs. Burton answered. 

“You would not have referred to this 
had you known how unhappy it has made 
me. Since we parted at Tahawus cabin 
Aunt Patricia has never spoken to me or 
answered one of my letters. She has not 
allowed me to see her, although I have been 
twice to Boston for no other purpose. Yet, 
Bettina, are the circumstances the same? 
I do not wish to hurt Aunt Patricia, but I 


THE GENERATIONS 


35 


am not a girl by many years, and I chose 
my profession long ago. I explained that 
my husband and I needed the money I am 
able to make and could not continue to 
accept Aunt Patricia’s generosity. She 
has no real objection to my return to the 
stage except the mistaken notion that I’m 
not strong enough and the fact that she 
cannot allow me to do what her will opposes. 
Dear Aunt Patricia is nothing, if not an 
autocrat! Still there are hours when I miss 
her so much, when it hurts to have her 
believe me ungrateful, until I almost regret 
what I have done, pleased as I am at the 
success of my new play. I often wish I had 
tried more persuasion with Aunt Patricia. 
But, Bettina, I never claimed to be a model 
person, and as you seem to feel I have no 
right to judge you, suppose we do not 
discuss your difficulty.” 

Flushing Bettina bit her lips and lowered 
her lids over her grey eyes. 

“I don’t wonder you say that, Tante, 
and I deserve it. To be rude to you does 
not help my cause, does it? Certainly it 
would not with mother. Besides you know 
I thoroughly approved of your return to 


36 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


the stage and think Aunt Patricia utterly 
unreasonable. There isn’t any likeness 
between my position and yours in this 
instance. What I want you to do is to try 
and think how you felt when you were a 
girl and all your family and friends opposed 
your going on the stage. Didn’t they tell 
you that you were selfish and unreasonable 
and breaking people’s hearts from sheer 
obstinacy? I don’t wish to be disagreeable, 
I have no great talent as you have, I just 
want you to try to feel a little sympathy 
for me, even if you feel more for mother.” 

The Camp Fire guardian smiled and 
shook her head, yet laid her hand on Bet- 
tina’s. 

“My dear, you are making a more diffi- 
cult request than you realize. It is so hard 
to go back to one’s past that most of us 
only understand our own generation. You 
Camp Fire girls should have taught me 
more wisdom! Of course I sympathize with 
you if you are unhappy, Bettina, and feel 
yourself in the wrong place, yet I am 
sorrier for your mother, because you cannot 
possibly realize how much you are hurting 
her. She never has believed you cared for 


THE GENERATIONS 


37 


her deeply and now that you are not wil- 
ling to spend even one season with her in 
doing what she wishes, she is the more 
firmly convinced that you have no affection 
for her. You talk a great deal of not 
having your mother’s beauty and charm; 
well, perhaps not in the same degree; but 
Betty, I know, is very proud of you and 
thinks you are infinitely cleverer than she 
and that you feel this yourself.” 

“Tante, you are not fair,” Bettina in- 
terrupted. 

“Then perhaps you would rather I would 
not go on.” 

“Yes, I want to know what you think, 
only what you have said is absurd. Mother 
never has been proud oRme, although this 
is scarcely her fault. She agrees with me 
that I am not a success in society, only she 
insists that this is because I won’t try to 
make myself popular.” 

“Do you try?” 

“Well, no, not especially, but why should 
I? If I were allowed to do what I like, to 
give all my energy and the little knowledge 
I possess to help people less fortunate than 
I am, I should try as I have never tried to 
accomplish anything in my life.” 


38 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“You are not willing to make any effort 
to fulfill your mother’s wish. Suppose we 
do not discuss the subject, Bettina, any 
further at present. We are both tired. I 
telegraphed your mother last night and am 
writing to-day to ask if you may make me 
a visit.” 

There was a knock at the door and Mrs. 
Burton arose. 

“I told you I did not wish to be dis- 
turbed,” she protested when the door 
opened and another girl entered. 

This girl possessed an apparently color- 
less manner and personality, she had ash- 
brown hair and eyes and the question of 
her appearance would scarcely occur to any 
one who knew her but slightly. Juliet 
Temple was not a member of the Sunrise 
Camp Fire. She had been introduced to the 
Camp Fire guardian and the group of girls 
by Mrs. Burton’s husband during the 
winter they had spent together in the 
Adirondacks. 

Not popular with the rest of the house- 
hold, Juliet Temple had continued to live 
with Mrs. Burton in a position a little 
difficult to describe. Treated as a member 


THE GENERATIONS 


39 


of the family, she was useful to Mrs. Burton 
in a variety of ways, in fact she had come 
to depend upon her far more than she 
appreciated. 

“Yes, I understood that you did not 
desire to be disturbed, but I think when 
you know who wishes to see you that you 
will feel differently,” Juliet said quietly. 

Accepting the cards that were offered her, 
Mrs. Burton exclaimed: 

“Bettina, you cannot guess who has 
arrived, unless you have arranged to sur- 
prise me! Not to have seen one of you 
Camp Fire girls in all these months and 
now to have four of you appear at the same 
time scarcely seems accidental. ” 

Bettina got up. 

“I don’t know what you mean!” 

The Camp Fire guardian disappeared. 

A moment later, returning to her sitting- 
room she was accompanied by three girls, 
one of them a tall girl with dusky black 
hair and eyes and a foreign appearance in 
spite of the fact that she was an American. 

The other two girls were sisters, although 
utterly unlike in appearance; one of them 
was tall and slightly angular with gray eyes 


40 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


and reddish hair. The younger girl had 
golden brown hair and eyes, was small and 
softly rounded. Her expression at the 
moment was one of demure happiness. 

“Vera Lagerloff, Alice Ashton and Sally 
Ashton, at your service, Bettina,” the Sun- 
rise Camp Fire guardian announced with a 
curtsey. 

“But, Bettina Graham, how in the world 
do you happen to be in New York at this 
time?” 

Bettina laughed. 

“That is exactly the question I was about 
to ask of you.” 


CHAPTER III 


Future Plans 

E are spending the winter in New 



York; actually I have been in- 
tending to write you for weeks, 


Bettina, but have been too busy; Alice 
and I are taking special courses at Columbia 
and Sally is here keeping house for us,” 
Vera Lagerloff answered. 

“Have I talked so much, Tante, that 
you have had no opportunity to tell me so 
important a piece of news?” Bettina in- 
quired. 

After finding chairs for her guests, Mrs. 
Burton had seated herself on a couch beside 
Sally Ashton. She now shook her head. 

“No, Bettina, I could not have told you, 
since I had no idea the girls were in New 
York. You see, they have never before 
been to see me or let me hear where they 
were. Have you been in town long?” 

There was a short, uncomfortable silence. 

“About a month; but please let me 


( 41 ) 


42 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


explain,” Alice Ashton said, seeing that the 
other girls were waiting for her to assume 
the responsibility of a reply. “I realize 
this must seem strange to you, and I grant 
you it does look odd, as if we had lost all 
our affection and gratitude. And yet you 
can not believe this of us!” 

“I have made no accusation,” the Camp 
Fire guardian returned, yet in her tone 
and manner there was an unconscious 
accusation, which made it difficult for Alice 
to continue. 

“I am afraid you are wounded, Tante; 
I am sorry,” she added awkwardly and 
paused. 

Guardian of the Sunrise Camp Fire girls 
for a number of years, Mrs. Richard Burton, 
whose professional name was Polly O’Neill 
Burton, had given up her career on the 
stage and traveled with the Camp Fire 
girls in the west. Later when the great 
war turned the world upside down she had 
gone with them to Europe accompanied by 
a wealthy and eccentric spinster, Miss 
Patricia Lord. After two years in France 
and a summer in England they had come 
back to their own country and on account 


FUTURE PLANS 


43 


of the Camp Fire guardian's health had 
spent the preceding winter in the Adiron- 
dacks.* 

With the close of the winter Mrs. Burton 
had returned to the stage and the Camp 
Fire girls to their homes. There had been 
no meeting between them until to-day. 

“Tante" was the title which the greater 
number of the Sunrise Camp Fire girls used 
in speaking to their guardian. 

“ Please don't behave as if you were too 
wounded to be angry," Sally Ashton re- 
monstrated, moving closer to the older 
woman and slipping an arm about her. 
“And please remember that it is a good 
deal more of a trial for your Camp Fire girls 
to have been separated from you for all 
these months than for you to have had a 
brief rest from their society. Some of us 
at least realize that you have given too much 
of yourself to us for the last few years when 
a so much larger public needed you. I 
can't tell you how proud I am of your 
latest success. I have read dozen of notices 
in the papers and the critics all say that 
you are more wonderful than ever." 


See “Camp Fire Girls” Series. 


44 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Mrs. Burton smiled. 

“You are very complimentary, Sally 
dear, and of course I am immensely flattered. 
Nevertheless this does not explain why 
you girls have never come near me for a 
month, or taken the trouble to write or 
telephone. This would not have interfered 
seriously with the holiday which you seem 
to feel I have required.” 

Rising, Alice Ashton came over and stood 
before her guardian, her expression un- 
usually gentle and affectionate. Ordinarily 
Alice was not tactful, although sincerity 
and a fine sense of honor were her ruling 
characteristics. 

“See~here, Tante, we are in an uncom- 
fortable position and there is nothing to do 
save tell you the entire story and let you 
judge. You will say frankly whether you 
think we have been right or wrong. I feel 
sure that Sally and Vera have felt as I do, 
when I say there has scarcely been a day 
since our arrival in New York when we 
have not thought of you and longed to see 
you. We have been to your play several 
times.” 

“Why avoid me, dear? What can it be 


FUTURE PLANS 45 

that you find so difficult to say? I prefer 
to know.” 

“Even if the reason will trouble you 
more than the fact? The truth is that 
Aunt Patricia would not agree to have us 
see you.” 

“So Aunt Patricia’s influence is stronger 
than your feeling for me! Perhaps that is 
as it should be, but I can not altogether 
recognize what I have done which makes 
Aunt Patricia not only refuse to have any- 
thing to do with me herself, but wish to 
separate you Camp Fire girls from me as 
well. I suppose she fears I may affect 
you with the ingratitude and obstinacy I 
possess. As long as you were so compliant 
with Aunt Patricia’s wish, Alice, why did 
you change? Aunt Patricia has not 
changed!” 

“You are angry and hurt and I don’t 
know how to go on,” Alice returned, her 
gray blue eyes darkening, a flush coming 
into her cheeks. 

“Then don’t try, Alice,” Sally interrupted. 
“Tante, please be sensible and don’t 
make a tragedy over a situation that is 
uncomfortable enough for us all, goodness 


46 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


knows! I have no gift of words but at least 
I can speak plainly. Alice and Vera both 
feel under obligation to Aunt Patricia be- 
cause she is paying their expenses in New 
York this winter. I have not been here 
so long as they have, in fact I only arrived 
a few days ago. Aunt Patricia has rented 
a lovely little apartment for us and is being 
generous as only she can be. So when 
she asked Alice and Vera not to come to 
see you, they considered that in a way 
they were obliged to do as she asked; I 
had no such feeling. Aunt Patricia has been 
spending a few days with us and this 
morning at breakfast, I had the matter out 
with her. I simply told her I was coming 
to call on you, that she of course must do 
as she liked, but that I had been caring for 
you all my life and had no idea of ever 
doing anything else. If she did not wish 
me to remain on at the apartment, she 
could of course send me home.” 

“ Bravo, Sally!” Bettina Graham said 
softly under her breath. 

“Of course,” Sally added, “ Alice and 
Vera have a different attitude toward Aunt 
Patricia. I have never been a favorite 


FUTURE PLANS 


47 


with her, as they have, or lived alone with 
her during their reconstruction work in 
France. My own opinion is that Aunt 
Patricia wants to see you so much herself 
that she is unwilling to have us see you, for 
fear we shall talk of you afterwards. She 
made it a stipulation this morning when 
she agreed we could come to see you that 
your name was not to be mentioned in her 
presence. I really am awfully sorry for 
her. She is very lonely this winter I am 
afraid, shut up in her big house near Boston. 
She cares for you more than any one in the 
world, and only comes to New York occa- 
sionally, I really believe to find out how 
you are, although no one of us has been 
able to discover if she has been to see you 
act.” 

During Sally Ashton’s long speech neither 
her sister, Alice, nor Vera Lagerloff had 
appeared particularly serene. 

Vera Lagerloff was an unusual looking 
girl; at Sally’s words, her eyes narrowed, 
her skin paled slightly and her lips parted 
over her firm, white teeth. In all the years 
of their Camp Fire life together, no one of 
her companions had ever seen Vera seriously 


48 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


angry, although she always insisted that 
notwithstanding her American birth, she 
shared the Russian peculiarity. 

She looked more aggrieved at this moment 
than was customary. 

“ Sally is making a good story so far as 
she is concerned, although not so fortunate 
a one for us,” she commented. “ Still the 
worst of it is, Mrs. Burton, that Alice and I 
cannot altogether deny the truth of what 
she has told you.” (Yera was always more 
formal in her manner toward the Sunrise 
Camp Fire guardian than the ; other girls, 
and rarely used the title of “Tante.”) “We 
do feel under obligation to Aunt Patricia; 
neither Alice nor I could have afforded the 
winter at Columbia save for her kindness. 
Yet she did not insist on our not coming 
to see you, or letting you hear from us. 
She merely asked it as a favor, and only 
for a limited length of time. One of the 
reasons she gave was that you had chosen 
to separate yourself from us in order to 
give your time and energy to your stage 
career and that we should not interfere. 
Alice and I were merely waiting to decide 
what was wisest and best.” 


FUTURE PLANS 


49 


“Very well, I understand; please let us 
not discuss the question any further. Of 
course, Vera, dear, I know Aunt Patricia 
also told you I would be an unfortunate 
influence, but you are perfectly right not 
to speak of this. Do tell me what you and 
Alice are studying at Columbia and whether 
you like New York and, oh, dozens of 
other things!” 

The Camp Fire guardian’s manner was 
sweet and friendly as her arm encircled 
Sally and she gave her an affectionate 
embrace. 

Sally dimpled and smiled. 

“You are a prophet, Tante. Aunt 
Patricia suggested only this morning that 
in order to have your own way, you dis- 
regarded every one’s wishes. The implica- 
tion was that I bore a slight, but unfortunate 
resemblance to you.” 

At this the other girls laughed and the 
atmosphere cleared. 

“Alice is preparing to study medicine 
and I am taking a course in architecture 
and another in domestic science. Aunt 
Patricia talks sometimes of returning to 
France and spending the rest of her days 


50 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


over there at her home for French war 
orphans. She says if we wish and our 
parents agree she may take Alice and me 
with her.” 

Sally Ashton shook her head. 

“ Don’t worry, Tante, Aunt Patricia will 
never leave this country without you.” 

Mrs. Burton, who had been glancing into 
the flames which flickered in a small open 
fire, now looked up. 

“ Really, Alice and Yera, I am glad you 
have done what Aunt Patricia wished, 
although at first I confess I was hurt and 
angry. If she needs you, you must fill her 
life as completely as you can. I don’t 
agree with Sally, much as I would like to. 
Aunt Patricia is singularly unforgiving and 
must have lost all affection for me. You’ll 
stay to lunch with us. You and Bettina 
have not had a moment’s conversation and 
she has a great deal to tell you. I’ll go 
and see about things.” 

After the Camp Fire guardian had dis- 
appeared from the room, Bettina Graham 
slipped into her place beside Sally. 

“Do come and sit close to us in a Camp 
Fire square, if not a Camp Fire circle,” 


FUTURE PLANS 


51 


Bettina urged. “If you girls only knew 
how glad I am to see you and how your 
being here in New York makes me more 
than ever anxious to do what I have been 
planning! You know how I always have 
hated the idea of making my debut in 
society. Well, as the ordeal has drawn 
nearer, I have found myself hating the pos- 
sibility more than ever. This summer 
while we were at our new home, that we 
call 'The House by the Blue Lagoon/ I at 
last made up my mind what I really wish 
to do. I want to devote my life to social 
work and to begin by studying social settle- 
ment work in New York this winter/’ 

Sally Ashton sighed. 

“Oh, dear, how did I ever wander into so 
serious a Camp Fire group? Is there no 
one of the Sunrise girls who does not wish 
for a career save me? Of course there are 
Peggy and Gerry, but they already have 
chosen matrimony as their careers.” 

“Do be quiet, Sally. What a perfectly 
delightful idea, Bettina dear! Why can’t 
you spend the winter with us? We have 
another small bed-room in our apartment 
and I am sure Aunt Patricia will be de- 


52 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


lighted to have you with us,” Alice Ashton 
urged. 

Bettina shook her head. 

“No such good fortune, Alice! Mother 
is entirely opposed to my wish and insists 
upon my following her desire for me. I 
ran away to New York to try to persuade 
Tante to use her influence with mother to 
permit me to do what I like, but I find she 
takes mother’s point of view altogether. 
We were discussing the subject when you 
came in and she had just told me she 
thought it would be selfish and inconsiderate 
of me to argue the matter any further. So 
I suppose I must go back to Washington 
and be a wallflower all winter. 

“I forgot to tell you that Elce, our little 
Lancashire girl, is here with me. She was 
ill at school and sent to me, as no one 
seemed able to find anything the matter, 
save that she was so homesick and miser- 
able. Now something has to be done for 
her and writh her and I am so glad to have 
the opportunity to ask your advice. I am 
afraid that to send her to another boarding 
school would be to have the same thing 
occur, and yet she must have some educa- 


FUTURE PLANS 


53 


tion. She cares for nothing save her music 
and the outdoors and was perfectly well 
and happy when she was with mother and 
me last summer/ ' 

A moment the three girls remained silent, 
then Sally answered. 

“If you and Tante think it wise and 
Alice and Vera and Aunt Patricia are will- 
ing, why not have Elce come and live with 
us this winter? I know she would rather 
* be with you. Bettina, but if you are to be 
introduced into society in Washington, you 
will scarcely be able to give any time to 
her. Besides, your mother may not wish 
to have her. Elce can go to school in New 
York and Fll look after her otherwise. 
Perhaps this is not the best thing for her, 
but it is the only solution I can suggest. 
She won't be so homesick with us as at 
boarding school and she will have greater 
freedom, then I shall like to feel that I am 
doing something useful." 

“Good gracious, Sally, isn't making a 
home for Alice and me being useful?" Vera 
remonstrated. “I am sorry if I seemed 
cross a few moments ago; this was largely 
because you were in the right and Alice and 
I did not enjoy our position." 


54 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Before any one could reply there was a 
knock at the door and another girl entered. 

“Mrs. Burton says that luncheon is 
ready if you will be kind enough to come in. 
I am going to ask you not to stay long 
afterwards; Mrs. Burton would not mention 
it I am sure, but she is supposed to lie down 
every afternoon for a short rest.” 

As the four Camp Fire girls followed 
Juliet Temple out of the room, Sally 
managed to whisper to Bettina: 

“What is there about Juliet Temple that 
is so annoying? That little speech she just 
made is the kind of thing that makes me 
especially angry, as if she were far more 
intimate with Tante and more devoted to 
her welfare than any of her Camp Fire 
girls? I suppose she is devoted to her and 
certainly she makes herself useful and yet I 
never feel sure of her. In my opinion she 
represents one of the causes of Aunt Pa- 
tricia’s estrangement.” 

Bettina shook her head. 

“I feel a good deal as you do, Sally, 
although I am not even so confident of the 
reason. Sometimes I think you are a better 
judge of character than any of the rest of 


FUTURE PLANS 


55 


us, so if you have an opportunity this 
winter I wish you would study Juliet 
Temple and find out what you can. Is she 
really devoted to Tante, or is she only 
devoted to her for what she thinks she can 
gain? Come, we must not keep luncheon 
waiting and I want you to see Elce. Suppose 
we talk to her of your proposal.” 


CHAPTER IV 


Natural History 


M RS. BURTON'S New York apart- 
ment was not large. 

In her present state of mind 
Bettina Graham was restless, so, as her 
mother had consented that she spend the 
week with her Camp Fire guardian, she 
devoted many hours each day to being out 
of doors and to sight seeing. 

She was never alone; one of her excuses 
was that Elce must be amused and not 
allowed to be troublesome. The little 
English girl, the daughter of a Lancashire 
miner, who had been deserted by her father 
and in a way thrust upon the Camp Fire 
girls during a brief visit to Ireland, always 
accompanied her. 

Elce was not a trying companion when 
one wished to pursue one's own train of 
thought. She talked but little and seemed 
shy and not particularly clever save for her 
extraordinary musical gift. Not that she 

( 56 ) 


NATURAL HISTORY 


57 


had any gift for the technique of music. 
One of Bettina’s puzzles and disappoint- 
ments was that so far the younger girl had 
failed to show any proper interest in the 
study of music. Her talent seemed spon- 
taneous and natural as a bird’s ability to 
sing and she seemed as little capable of 
acquiring musical knowledge. 

Undoubtedly a problem, Bettina believed 
that Elce was chiefly her problem. During 
the summer in “Merrie England/’ when 
the little girl had been a maid of all work 
in their household, she first had become 
interested in her and in return Elce, whom 
they then knew by the Lancashire title of 
“Chitty,” had given her a devotion, which 
she revealed toward no one else. Indeed, 
the younger girl appeared curiously free 
from the ordinary affections and to be 
strangely shy, or self-contained. 

It was at Bettina’s request that her 
father had undertaken to pay for the little 
girl’s education. There had been no thought 
of making her a member of their household, 
save perhaps during certain holidays. 

With Marguerite Arnot the circumstances 
were different. Marguerite was older and 


58 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


in spite of her difficult background of 
poverty and hard work* was possessed of 
unusual beauty and charm. Then at once 
Marguerite had responded to her mother’s 
influence. Indeed, Bettina, although recog- 
nizing the unreasonableness of her own 
attitude, frequently had to stifle pangs of 
something approaching jealously at the 
sympathetic relation between them. 

Marguerite was no longer shy save in a 
graceful and attractive fashion. If she 
played but an inconspicuous part in the 
social life now surrounding her, she had the 
French tact and resourcefulness. It seemed 
to Bettina that, as her own difference of 
opinion with her mother had grown and 
developed, Marguerite was beginning to fill 
her place. In justice she could not criticize 
Marguerite for circumstances with which 
she had nothing to do, although not enjoy- 
ing the idea that her mother was turning to 
some one else for the sympathy and devo- 
tion which should have been her own to 
give and to receive. 

This afternoon, wandering about the 
Natural History Museum with Elce, Bet- 

* See “Camp Fire Girls in Glorious France." 


NATURAL HISTORY 


59 


tina was not particular^ intent upon the 
exhibitions, but instead was planning a 
letter which she contemplated writing home 
later in the evening, when Mrs. Burton 
had gone to the theater and she could be 
alone. 

She meant to surrender her own desire; 
nothing else appeared possible, but she 
also wished her family to appreciate that 
she believed she was being treated unjustly 
and that she had the right to her own 
choice of life. 

Reaching a secluded corner and discover- 
ing an unoccupied bench, Bettina sat down, 
suggesting that Elce wander about alone 
and come back for her later. They were 
on the floor devoted to the reproduction of 
wild birds in their native haunts. Since 
the collection was a rarely beautiful one, 
Bettina believed it would be of so great 
fascination as to keep the younger girl 
occupied for some time. Personally she 
was already fatigued. Moreover, she wished 
for an opportunity to think without the 
possibility of being interrupted at any 
moment. 

After her original talk with her Camp 


60 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Fire guardian she had not referred to the 
subject of their interview. There was 
little reason why she should. Definitely 
she understood that Mrs. Burton's sympa- 
thy was with her mother and that she had 
but scant patience with her rebellion against 
what might appear to most girls as a singu- 
larly fortunate fate. 

Bettina was not only disappointed, but 
puzzled and aggrieved. From any one 
save her Camp Fire guardian she would 
have expected such a point of view. She 
herself was able to accept the fact that it 
was but natural other people should con- 
sider an opportunity to enter Washington 
society, chaperoned by her mother and 
with her father's prominent official position, 
to be the summit of any natural girl's desire. 
Yet from her Camp Fire guardian Bettina 
had hoped for another viewpoint. Had 
she not heard her oftentimes insist that 
every living human being must follow his 
or her own road, and that whether for good 
or ill she could have followed no career 
save the one she had chosen. 

The difference in their positions Bettina 
Graham had far too much intelligence not 


NATURAL HISTORY 


61 


to recognize. She was not choosing the 
career of an artist and had revealed no 
exceptional gifts. She merely wanted to 
give her life in service to persons less fortu- 
nate than herself, rather than waste it, as 
she felt, in a society existence for which she 
had neither liking nor taste. There was 
nothing romantic nor inspiring in her desire. 
Her mother and father were both convinced 
that such work should be left to older 
women, or to girls who possessed neither 
her position nor opportunities. 

So since the prop upon which uncon- 
sciously she had been leaning, Mrs. Burton’s 
approval and help, had failed her, Bettina 
decided to make no further protest for the 
present. Later she must convince her 
family that her desire was not a whim, a 
moment’s caprice, the influence of a stronger 
personality, which would vanish when other 
interests became more absorbing. 

Suddenly Bettina got up, realizing that 
the room in which she was seated was grow- 
ing surprisingly dark and that a guard was 
moving about, announcing that the hour 
for closing had arrived. 

Before leaving Bettina had first to find 
her companion. 


62 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


At the farther end of the room she 
observed that a small crowd had formed, 
who seemed loath to depart. 

Drawing near, to her amazement she 
heard a number of beautiful, birdlike notes 
with which she was familiar. 

Undisturbed by her audience, Elce was 
standing by a showcase filled with birds 
from the northern part of England, birds 
which the little girl had known almost from 
babyhood, as she had spent the greater 
part of her time in the woods. To-day 
amid strange and different surroundings, 
with apparent unconsciousness, she was 
repeating such bird notes as she could recall. 

The crowd about her was amused and 
admiring. 

Bettina laid her hand on the younger 
girl's shoulder. 

“Elce, we must go at once, it is growing 
late. And you must remember you are not 
in the woods, or you will have so large an 
audience surrounding us some day that we 
shall not be able to make our escape. You 
are an odd child ! I thought you were excep- 
tionally shy and afraid of people, and now 
you do a surprising thing like this and 
appear not in the least abashed." 


NATURAL HISTORY 


63 


In farewell Elce was nodding to several 
persons who had been standing near. She 
appeared entirely unaware that her behavior 
had been unusual. 

Out in the street Bettina discovered that 
the darkness had not been due solely to the 
lateness of the hour, but that a thunder- 
storm was approaching. 

A few moments she stood hesitating. 
The History Museum was on the west side 
of the city and uptown and she wished to 
reach the east side and down town as 
promptly as possible. By what method 
she could most quickly accomplish this 
result she was not certain. Holding tight 
to her companion's hand Bettina made a 
hurried rush toward the Broadway subway. 

She had no umbrella and large drops of 
rain were descending. The darkness was 
surprising and interesting. Men and women 
stopped in their onward rush to look upward 
toward the sky, where the clouds were 
magnificent. 

Then the rain became a downpour. Still 
Bettina and Elce rushed on, scarcely seeing 
where they were going. 

A moment and Bettina found her horizon 


64 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


limited by an umbrella, which made a 
circular barrier directly in her path. 

“Is it possible that people can meet by 
accident in New York City in this way? I 
do not see how you can remember us,” she 
was saying the following moment. 

“Our meeting is not so surprising as you 
think; people who live in New York never 
see their acquaintances unexpectedly, while 
strangers always do. I am taking it for 
granted that you are not a New Yorker. 
You will have my umbrella, won’t you?” 

Bettina shook her head. 

“No, I cannot do that, but if you will 
see us to the subway and save Elce from 
drowning in this rain, I shall be under a 
second obligation to you. We did find 
Mrs. Burton the other evening in the 
fashion you suggested.” 

Bettina was smiling, amused and enter- 
tained by her unexpected encounter. The 
rain was dripping from her hat, her hair 
blowing, her cloth skirt whipped about her 
ankles. 

“We are trying to reach Gramercy 
Square,” she added, when they had set out, 
their companion vainly attempting to hold 
his umbrella above the two girls. 


NATURAL HISTORY 


65 


“Then I suggest you take the bus so as 
not to have to cross to the shuttle at Times 
Square at this rush hour. You won’t think 
I intend being impertinent, because already 
I have discovered two things about you. 
You are staying with Mrs. Richard Burton 
and apparently she lives in Gramercy Park. 
You see, you have an unfair advantage of 
me in one respect, as you know that my 
name is Burton and I have no idea of yours.” 

Making no rejoinder, Bettina’s manner 
became perceptibly colder. She was not 
an unconventional person and was begin- 
ning to fear that she had displayed too great 
friendliness in permitting herself to recog- 
nize an acquaintance whom she had met in 
so informal a fashion. 

Yet until this moment he had seemed 
unusually courteous. 

At her change of manner he turned and 
began talking to Elce, so that Bettina was 
able to look at him more attentively. 

She had only an indistinct impression of 
him as he stood in his own doorway several 
evenings before, giving her the aid of his 
friendly advice. Curious that she should 
be appealing to his friendliness so soon 


66 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


again! Now she saw that the young man 
had brown hair and eyes, was a good deal 
taller than she, and that he had an expres- 
sion of delightful gaiety. Unconsciously 
Bettina felt a slight sensation of envy. She 
knew the copy of Donatello’s faun and there 
was something in her companion which 
suggested the famous statue. His brown 
hair, wet by the rain, curled in heavy clus- 
ters, his ears were slightly pointed, his face 
glowed with health and humor. 

“I am sorry if I have offended you,” he 
added. “For my own part, I never have 
understood why human beings require so 
much formality in learning to know one 
another. I confess I have been struggling 
to discover an acquaintance who knows 
your Mr. and Mrs. Burton ever since our 
accidental meeting the other evening. No 
one seems able to help me. The only 
human being I know named Burton outside 
my own family is a Captain Burton I saw 
in France. He was engaged in Red Cross 
work over there. But I met him on the 
street after our return and I remember he 
told me he was living in Washington.” 

Bettina bit her lips to hide their smiling, 


NATURAL HISTORY 


67 


not altogether displeased by this informa- 
tion. 

“We have reached Broadway, haven’t 
we? I am so much obliged to you, as here 
comes our bus. It would be odd, wouldn’t 
it, if by chance we should both know the 
same Captain Burton. My Mr. Richard 
Burton was in France in the service of the 
Red Cross and did live in Washington for 
a time after his return to this country. He 
does not use his title at present, since he 
has given up his Red Cross work, although 
many persons continue to call him Captain 
Burton. Of course there may have been 
any number of Captain Burtons in the 
army. I have no idea that we can possess 
any acquaintance in common. Good-by 
and thank you.” 


CHAPTER V 


Renunciation 


“ n the door of Mrs. Burton's private 



sitting-room, which was slightly ajar, 


^ ^ hearing voicesinside, Bettina paused. 
She had changed her wet outdoor costume 
for a simple dinner dress, but did not wish 
to disturb any visitor, knowing that her 
Camp Fire guardian saw only intimate 
friends at this hour and in this room. The 
room in which Bettina was standing at 
present was the ordinary reception room. 

Mrs. Burton was speaking and an instant 
later Bettina caught the sound of her own 
name. 

“I did not dream, my dear, that Bettina 
could be so selfish and unreasonable. I 
confess I am deeply disappointed in her! 
Save that she told me what she wished with 
her own lips, I could never have believed 
she could be so inconsiderate of you." 

Then a voice followed which surprised 
Bettina, although it was the one voice with 


( 68 ) 


RENUNCIATION 


69 


which she was more familiar than any 
other. 

“But, Polly, perhaps you do not under- 
stand Bettina. She never before has seemed 
either selfish or unreasonable. And if she 
now appears inconsiderate of me, the fault 
probably is mine. Bettina should have had 
a more serious-minded mother, one who 
would not have asked her to waste her gifts 
and her beautiful, generous nature in a 
society existence. I have been talking with 
Anthony since Bettina came to you. He 
seems unusually severe and for the first 
time I can recall is annoyed with his 'Slim 
Princess/ the title he used to bestow on 
Bettina. Anthony declares that Bettina 
should wish to be with me beyond any other 
possible desire and that she particularly 
needs my influence. This I am afraid is 
not true. I have been struggling to make 
Anthony see, and you must recognize this 
as an excuse for Bettina, Polly, dear, that 
her wish at present is merely an inheritance 
from Anthony. For as long as I can remem- 
ber Anthony has been working to better 
conditions for people whom he considers 
less fortunate than himself. This has kept 


70 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


him many years in political life, when often 
his own desire has been to retire. Now 
Bettina simply is longing to express the 
same ideal in the work that, as a young girl, 
she feels herself by nature fitted for. I 
have been standing in her way, I am afraid 
the selfishness has been mine, although at 
first I was unable to see the situation in 
this light. I am so proud of Bettina and so 
wanted her to be with me in order to intro- 
duce her to the brilliant and charming 
friends Anthony and I have acquired in 
our years in Washington.” 

“You are an angel, Betty!” Mrs. Burton 
responded. 

Her companion laughed, for the first 
time her voice revealing a happier tone. 

“Polly, there is only one human being in 
this world possessed of fewer angelic attri- 
butes! That person is your famous self. 
It is ridiculous and not in the least fair of 
you to be so critical of Bettina. I presume 
you have forgotten that when you were a 
girl you disappeared — was it for over a 
year?^— from all of us who cared for you. 
At that time you deliberately set out to try 
your fortune in so reprehensible a career as 


RENUNCIATION 


71 


the stage. Now if Bettina had chosen so 
undesirable a profession as yours, I might 
be unhappy. The work she wishes to do 
is constructive and unselfish. I went to 
call on Miss Merton, the friend Bettina 
made last summer who interested her in 
social settlement work. She has a very 
different impression of Bettina from the one 
you seem to have acquired as her Camp 
Fire guardian. She is a remarkable woman 
and I never wish to forget what she said to 
me. She even agreed that Bettina should 
remain this winter with me and do what I 
planned for her, yet she believes that Bet- 
tina has a wonderful personality and un- 
usual gifts and that one day she will do 
work that may be of permanent value. 
Under the circumstances it is I who have 
failed Bettina. In the future she will 
remember and find it hard to forgive me.” 

“ Mother!” there was a little rush as 
Bettina entered the room. An instant after 
her arms were about her mother and her 
cheek resting against her beautiful soft hair. 

“I have been playing eavesdropper out- 
side the door for the past ten minutes and 
so heard Tante villify my character and 


72 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


your defence of me. She isn’t to be trusted, 
is she, dearest?” 

Bettina glanced toward her Camp Fire 
guardian. There was a little flash of under- 
standing between them. 

Immediately Mrs. Burton rose from her 
chair. 

“I am going into my room to dress for 
dinner, Betty. I don’t know what Bettina’s 
idea of you may be, but I am convinced that 
you are unreasonable and inconsiderate. I 
have merely seen your side of this question 
because of my affection for you. In return 
you tell me that I have no true appreciation 
of your daughter and that I have chosen a 
profession for which you feel no respect 
while Bettina’s choice is altogether admir- 
able.” 

Mrs. Burton’s eyes were lowered and her 
cheeks flushed as she moved toward her 
own door. 

“ Polly dear, I haven’t wounded you? 
Please don’t be angry with me, you never 
have been in all these years.” 

There was no reply. Bettina whispered, 
“ Don’t mind Tante, mother. I think 
she really intended to force you to defend 


RENUNCIATION 


73 


me. Certainly I am grateful to her. Be- 
sides, she needs your criticism this winter, 
now her play is such a success and she no 
longer has Aunt Patricia or her Camp Fire 
girls to keep her in order. As for all those 
foolish, delightful things you said about me, 
I shall remember them always, although of 
course they are not true. When are you 
going home? I want to go with you, I 
mean to be the most popular debutante in 
Washington this winter. The other foolish 
dream of mine can wait.” 

Mrs. Graham shook her head. 

“No, Bettina, now I understand how you 
feel, I really don’t desire you to do anything 
except what you wish. Don’t leave us, 
please, Polly, not for a few moments, I want 
to talk to you. You can’t be offended. 
Miss Merton suggests that Bettina take 
some special courses in social work this 
winter and that she come to her for practical 
experience in the work two or three times a 
week. 

“I vron’t be lonely, I’ll run over to New 
York frequently to see you both. And 
remember, Polly, that you promised me 
that you would come to me in the spring, 


74 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


no matter if your play is the greatest suc- 
cess in New York. You assured Richard 
and me that you would not try your 
strength by a too long engagement. Be- 
sides, you have never seen our ‘ House by 
the Blue Lagoon’. Bettina and I have 
given the place this title. It was Anthony’s 
anniversary gift to me. The house is on an 
island in the sea, but there is an arm of 
water that has cut its way into the land 
that is blue as the Bay of Naples. You’ll 
bring as many of your Sunrise Camp Fire 
girls with you as you can induce to come. 
This shall be my reward that you and 
Bettina both care more for what you are 
pleased to call your careers than for me. 
I shall try to persuade Aunt Patricia to join 
us. She must have relented by that time. 

Mrs. Burton shook her head. 

“Never, dear! But of course I am com- 
ing to you. I lie awake at night and dream 
of the happy time we shall have together 
when the winter’s work is past. ‘The Blue 
Lagoon’, the very name is magical.” 


CHAPTER VI 


The Box Party 

T HE group of people entered the box 
nearest the stage a few moments 
before the curtain was to ascend. 

In the effort to find places there was the 
usual brief confusion; in the end the young- 
est of the girls was seated in the chair next 
the footlights, with two other girls in the 
adjoining chairs, the chaperon and a fourth 
girl behind them, while a little in the back- 
ground were three young men. 

" Mother, do take the outside chair; I am 
afraid you will not be able to see properly,” 
Bettina Graham suggested. 

"Besides, Mrs. Graham, we wish the 
handsomest member of our box party to 
occupy the most conspicuous place.” 

Betty Graham arose to change places 
with her daughter. 

"Never mind, David, I am perfectly 
willing to allow you to talk to Bettina, 
rather than to me, without such arrant 

( 75 ) 


76 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


flattery which is not apt to make you popu- 
lar. Besides, as I have not seen Mrs. 
Burton’s new play and am deeply interested, 
I do not wish to be interrupted. I am 
afraid you young persons may wish to 
talk.” 

“ There will be little danger of conversa- 
tion once the play is started,” a third voice 
interposed, “I have seen it three times and 
found it as absorbing the last time as I did 
the first.” 

Bettina Graham turned toward the 
speaker. 

“I am glad you were able to come with 
us to-night, Mr. Burton. Do you remember 
that you were the first person in New York 
to mention, ‘A Tide in the Affairs’ to me? 
In any event, mother, you need not fear we 
shall be guilty of such bad manners as to 
attempt to talk while the performance is 
going on, even if we dared. It is odd that 
I don’t know the story of the play, but 
then I have done my best not to find out so 
as not to affect my pleasure.” 

Dressed in a new evening gown of pale 
green chiffon, which had been her mother’s 
gift since her arrival in New York, with a 


THE BOX PARTY 


77 


silver girdle and a fillet of silver wound 
about her fair hair, her cheeks flushed with 
excitement, Bettina Graham had never 
been more beautiful. 

At least this was the impression she made 
upon two of the three young men who 
were members of the same party; the third 
was too absorbed in his own train of thought 
and in his excitement over seeing Mrs. 
Burton act for the first time to pay any 
particular attention to any one of the four 
girls. Such interest as Allan Drain had 
expressed had been for Mrs. Graham, who 
was his especial friend. 

As Robert Burton had seen Bettina only 
four times before this evening, his opinion 
was hardly of the same critical value as 
David Hale’s, whom Bettina had met and 
known intimately several years before in 
France. 

Robert Burton, however, had never made 
any effort to find out why Bettina Graham 
had attracted him since the first moment of 
their unconventional meeting. To analyze 
his own wishes had never been his habit. 
Accepting her half laughing challenge, he 
straightway had gone to call upon the Mr. 


78 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Richard Burton, who was her host, and 
discovered him to be the Captain Burton 
he had known in France. 

Telling the story of his accidental meet- 
ing with Bettina he had asked to be properly 
introduced and Captain Burton had been 
glad to agree. He knew something of 
Lieutenant Robert Burton’s war record and 
also that his father was a prominent New 
York lawyer; but particularly he liked the 
young fellow’s straightforward fashion of 
setting out to accomplish his design. 

Twice in the past week Robert Burton 
had called to see Bettina and been intro- 
duced to her mother and Mrs. Burton. This 
evening he had been invited to be a member 
of their theater party. For the same 
pleasure David Hale had come from Wash- 
ington. 

“Some night you hope to be sitting in 
the theater like this, Allan, and have Mrs. 
Burton produce your first play. I wish 
you luck. Suppose in the spring you make 
us a visit at my ‘ House by the Blue Lagoon ’. 
Mrs. Burton will be with me, resting, and 
perhaps we may be able to persuade her to 
read the play you are working on this 


THE BOX PARTY 


79 


winter. I shall always feel responsible for 
the loss of your poems,* although Mary 
Gilchrist was actually the guilty person,” 
Mrs. Graham declared, leaning a little back 
in her chair and turning her head to speak 
to the young man behind her. “ I still hope 
some day to make things up to you, or per- 
haps Mrs. Burton may.” 

Allan Drain flushed. He was a tall fellow 
with strong features and reddish gold hair 
which he wore fairly long. A student of 
medicine, he was in reality only interested 
in writing. He had met the Sunrise Camp 
Fire girls, their guardian and Mrs. Graham 
during the past winter which they had 
spent in the Adirondacks. 

“You have fully repaid me for any loss 
by your friendship,” he answered, with a 
slight huskiness of voice. “To hope that 
Polly O’Neill Burton will ever be interested 
in my poor efforts at play writing is too 
much to expect, yet if it is possible I shall 
come for the visit with the greatest pleasure. 
There is nothing I should so enjoy.” 

A hush at this moment preceded the 
raising of the curtain. Out of sight of the 

* See “Camp Fire Girls at Half Moon Lake.” 


80 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


audience an orchestra began the strains of 
an Irish melody famous half a century ago. 

A suppressed quiver of excitement passed 
through the small group of Camp Fire girls. 

In her seat nearest the stage Sally Ashton 
bit her lips to hide their trembling, feeling 
her cheeks suddenly flame. She had been 
scarcely aware of the conversation going on 
about her, or that the eyes of a number of 
persons in the audience had been admiringly 
turned toward her. She wore a dress of 
rose-colored net with no trimming save a 
broad satin girdle of the same shade. 

Vera and Alice Ashton were in white, 
Mrs. Graham in an amber satin with a 
string of - topazes about her throat, her 
wonderful auburn hair exquisitely arranged, 
her skin of a beautiful warm clearness, was 
more lovely than the girl of years before. 

Waiting to see the curtain rise she was 
the Betty Ashton of long ago, who had 
been one of the first persons to believe in 
the genius of the girl, Polly O’Neill, always 
her dearest friend. 

“I have not seen Polly act for so long a 
time, Bettina, I am almost as excited as if 
this was her debut night. Yet Polly is sure 


THE BOX PARTY 


81 


enough of her laurels these days!” Mrs. 
Graham whispered. 

Then the curtain rose. 

The first scene disclosed a small cabin 
set on a green hillside with a miniature 
lake in front. 

A girl in a green skirt, a white blouse and 
a green velvet bodice is seen seated on the 
grass near the water. She is slowly croon- 
ing a love song with the words scarcely 
audible. 

Finally becoming impatient, she rises and 
wanders about, a frown on her face, a 
pathetic droop to her slim figure. 

“Mrs. Burton looks about sixteen, doesn’t 
she? Younger than any one of you ! ’ ’ David 
Hale murmured. 

Bettina paid not the slightest attention 
to his remark, and scarcely heard it, as at 
this moment a second figure entered the - 
stage, a boy who is about to set forth on a 
journey; one recognizes this from his 
costume before any words are exchanged. 
He has come to say good-by. 

The first act is devoted to their farewell. 
One learns that the girl is to be left behind 
with an old aunt who has been her foster 


82 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


mother, while the boy goes to the United 
States to seek a fortune for them both. 

“Mother,” Bettina said softly when the 
curtain had fallen, “don’t you think Tante 
makes the parting between herself and .her 
lover too tragic? It seems to me perfectly 
natural and there is no special reason for 
being unhappy, yet just because of her gift 
for expressing emotion she seems the most 
pathetic figure in the world as he goes 
away and leaves her.” 

Mrs. Graham smiled and shook her 
head, but made no effort to conceal the 
tears in her eyes. 

“Perhaps you are right, Bettina, I don’t 
know. Polly did not believe you Camp 
Fire girls would care for her play. It 
begins in a more sentimental age than the 
present one. Fifteen years elapse, remem- 
ber, between the first and the second act. 
Perhaps the modern girl would not regard 
the separation from her lover so seriously; 
she has more interests, more occupations, 
and sometimes I wonder if love may not 
mean less to her; I am not sure. 

“The girl whom Polly portrays is left 
utterly alone, save for the old woman, who, 


THE BOX PARTY 


83 


we have learned, is harsh and querulous. 
She has only her dream and her affection.” 

Talking to Bettina alone, Mrs. Graham 
discovered that, as the applause died away, 
the other members of the box party were 
listening to her little speech. 

“I agree with Bettina,” Alice Ashton 
interposed. 

“See here, Mrs. Graham, if you believe 
in sentiment don’t look for it among girls 
these days,” Robert Burton protested. “If 
you want to know the kind of impression 
that parting scene of Mrs. Burton’s inspires, 
ask any one of the three fellows in your 
party to-night. If I cared for a girl and 
was compelled to leave her for an indefinite 
length of time,* I tell you I should expect 
her to feel as the heroine does in this play. 
If she didn’t feel that way, I would not 
believe in her love.” 

Mrs. Graham arose. 

“I’ll leave you to argue the point without 
me. I want to speak to Mrs. Burton for a 
few moments and she asked that no one 
else come behind the scenes until the per- 
formance is over.” 

Immediately David Hale slipped into 


84 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


the chair beside Bettina, while Robert 
Burton moved forward to talk with Sally 
Ashton who seemed apart from the others. 
Allan Drain joined Alice and Vera. 

“It cannot be possible, Bettina, that you 
are not returning to Washington to spend 
the winter,” David Hale remarked in a low 
tone of voice. “Your mother spoke of it 
to me and then said perhaps you would 
explain to me yourself.” 

Bettina flushed, as the subject was not 
an altogether happy one and she was a 
little annoyed at its introduction at this 
instant. 

“Why no, I believe not, anyhow not for 
some time. A group of the Sunrise Camp 
Fire girls has taken a little apartment to- 
gether in New York and we are planning to 
work and study here. We are not to be 
with our Camp Fire guardian. In fact we 
are not even to have a chaperon with us 
permanently. You remember Miss Pa- 
tricia Lord; one is not apt to forget Miss 
Patricia. She has a house near Boston and 
is to appear now and then to see how we 
are getting on. Alice Ashton and Sally, 
and Vera Lagerloff made the plan for the 


THE BOX PARTY 


85 


winter originally and are allowing my little 
English Camp Fire girl and me to join them. 
I am to do some studying, but what I shall 
like much more, I am to work in one of the 
settlement houses on the East Side. I 
shall try to organize new Camp Fire clubs, 
as I don’t believe there are many of them 
in that neighborhood.” 

David Hale stared at his companion in- 
credulously. 

“You cannot mean you prefer a winter 
of this kind to making your debut in Wash- 
ington, where you would be invited every- 
where! I don’t suppose it occurs to you, 
or that it makes any difference, but I am 
bitterly disappointed?” 

“Oh, you will have mother and Mar- 
guerite Arnot who will more than com- 
pensate for my absence. You know I 
long have hated the prospect of having to 
come out in society. I am too serious, I 
suppose, although I realize this is not an 
attractive trait of character. But, David 
Hale, do you recall how much you used to 
talk to me of your ambitions for the future 
in the days we knew each other in France? 
Well, I don’t see why I am not allowed an 


86 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


ambition of my own even if I am not gifted. 
I have always been more interested in the 
Camp Fire organization than the other 
Sunrise Camp Fire girls. Now I see an 
opportunity to enlarge its influence along 
with other work I am undertaking. Mother 
did not approve at first, but she is an angel 
and has finally agreed. You see she was 
once upon a time a Camp Fire girl herself.” 

At Bettina’s indifference to his point of 
view David frowned. 

“Well, your mother is right; the new girl 
is hard to understand, even if one happens 
to belong to her generation; that is, hard for 
a fellow like me! I — ” 

Bettina was not paying a great deal of 
attention. In the alcove at the front of 
the box Sally Ashton and Robert Burton 
were laughing and talking together, Sally 
wearing her usual demure expression which 
could change to sudden gaiety. Evidently 
her companion admired her. 

Her mother’s return to her place and 
David Hale’s vacating it, distracted Bet- 
tina’s attention; moreover, the bell was 
ringing to announce the second act of the 
drama. 

Fifteen years have gone by, but now for 


THE BOX PARTY 


87 


the first time the traveler, who had departed 
as a boy, is returning to the Irish village 
high up among the lakes and hills. 

The report has come back that he has 
become wealthy and the village is preparing 
to welcome him. Hovering on the out- 
skirts of the crowd one discovers the girl, 
no longer young, with whom he had parted 
many years before. She has not heard 
from him in a decade. Still she is interested 
and anxious to know if he will remember 
her, or if by any chance he may still care a 
little. She never has forgotten. Some 
misunderstanding may have divided them, 
which a few words, a touching of the hands, 
a meeting of the eyes may explain. 

The hero returns. He has forgotten and 
even fails to recognize the girl who repre- 
sented his youthful romance, is shocked by 
the change in her when she recalls herself 
to his memory. 

At the close of the act she goes back to 
the little cabin and the lake and the green 
hillside, where she has lived alone these 
ten years, the old aunt having died. 

The pathos of the years of waiting has 
departed. The meeting in the village has 
ended an old illusion. 


88 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


In the third and last act the heroine has 
established herself in a picturesque little 
house in the town, where she has gathered 
about her many friends. She is witty and 
gay, her clothes are pretty and fashionable. 
In the lonely years she has read a great 
deal and has interested herself in politics. 
The friends and admirers she might have 
had, save for her faithfulness to a memory, 
are discovered around her, among them the 
man, who so easily had forgotten his 
plighted word. In the end he proposes a 
second time and is refused. 

“Love has no value without faith and I 
have no faith in you;” with this line the 
drama closes. 

“The play is delightful and Polly reveals 
all her gifts of laughter and tears, neverthe- 
less it leaves one dissatisfied,” Mrs. Graham 
insisted, as she allowed Allan Drain to help 
her with her coat. “Allan, in your new 
play give us a happier ending.” 

“My dear mother, what a sentimentalist 
you are! I could not imagine a more 
delicious climax. My sex is avenged!” 
Bettina replied. “Come, let us go back 
behind the scenes and offer our congratula- 
tions!” 



“My Dear Mother, What a Sentimentalist You Are." 



CHAPTER VII 


The Apartment 

HE sitting-room was scrupulously 



clean. The Camp Fire candles. 


representing work, health and love, 
were on the mantel, but unlighted; a small 
fire was burning in the grate. 

At one side stood a tea table with the 
arrangements for tea, — cups and saucers, 
the tea kettle and alcohol lamp. At the 
moment the room was empty. 

Then a door swung open and a girl 
entered wearing a ceremonial Camp Fire 
costume, her strings of honor beads and 
insignia of the highest rank, but over her 
dress a blue apron which came up to her 
throat and down to her ankles. 

Her hair was carefully arranged, parted 
at one side and drawn smoothly down, yet 
little tendrils of brown hair had escaped 
and her face was warmly flushed. 

Seating herself in a low chair she extended 
her feet toward the small blaze. 


( 90 ) 


THE APARTMENT 


91 


“The girls are late this afternoon, just 
because there was a particular reason why 
they should be early,” she remarked in a 
maternal tone of voice, a little absurd in 
view of her appearance. 

During the past few months Sally Ashton 
had been presiding over the small apart- 
ment in New York which sheltered a group 
of the Sunrise Camp Fire girls. 

Getting up, she now walked over toward 
the window. In the distance one could 
catch a glimpse of the Columbia College 
buildings and in another direction the dome 
of the great, unfinished Cathedral. The 
winter afternoon was clear and cold. 

Returning to her former place, after a 
glance at the clock, Sally drew a letter from 
the pocket of her blouse and began reading 
it. This must have been a second or third 
reading since the envelope had disappeared. 

Nevertheless, the letter plainly occasioned 
her no happiness, for she frowned, bit her 
lips and looked as if only a severe determina- 
tion against any display of weakness saved 
her from tears. 

“I have not heard from Dan Webster in 
a month. Now he has written me exactly 


92 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


one page which says nothing at all except 
that he is so busy and so tired at the end of 
each day that any letter he could write 
would only bore me. He is kind enough 
to hope we may meet in the spring in the 
'House by the Blue Lagoon/ And this 
when I was foolish enough to think that 
Dan actually cared for me when we were 
together last winter!” 

"I do wish I were not one of the persons 
who cares for only a few people! No one 
understands, or believes this of me, save 
Tante, and she is too busy this winter to be 
disturbed by Camp Fire confidences, even 
though she remains our guardian. I wonder 
if she will be here this afternoon? • As for 
Dan, I suppose I must stop thinking of 
him, in spite of the fact that we are such 
old friends.” 

There was a little sound of a key scraping 
in a lock. Thrusting her letter inside her 
pocket, Sally arose hastily. 

"Sally, are we first to return home?” 
Bettina Graham’s voice inquired. "I was 
delayed at the Neighborhood House a 
quarter of an hour longer than usual. Then 
I had to make a special effort to persuade 


THE APARTMENT 


93 


the children to allow Elce to come with me. 
We had been having a lecture on birds 
and she attempting to reproduce certain of 
the bird sounds and to teach them to the 
other children. I wish you had been with 
us. You have not been lonely?” Bettina 
observed an unaccustomed expression on 
the other girPs face. 

As if slightly annoyed by the suggestion, 
Sally shook her head. 

“No, certainly not; I am never lonely, I 
have had everything arranged for our Camp 
Fire meeting and for tea afterwards for so 
long that I am tired waiting.” 

“Very well, Elce and I will change into 
our Camp Fire costumes and be with you 
in a few moments. I am surprised Vera 
and Alice are so late! I hoped Tante and 
Juliet Temple would have arrived. By the 
way, Sally, what do you think of admitting 
Juliet into our Sunrise Camp Fire? We 
have known her so many months that I am 
convinced she and Tante must both expect 
it, although they have not said so definitely. 
If we have an opportunity before they 
arrive, suppose we discuss the question.” 

Bettina Graham’s conversation had been 


94 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


continued from inside her own bedroom, 
with the door opening into the sitting-room 
which adjoined it. In fact the six-room 
apartment the Sunrise Camp Fire girls 
were sharing for the winter, was so built 
that the three bedrooms and kitchen opened 
into a single large room. This served as 
their dining-room, sitting-room and recep- 
tion room. A small room, apart from the 
others, Miss Patricia Lord’s room, could 
be used as a study the greater portion of 
the time, since Miss Patricia was rarely in 
New York. 

Only twice in the last few months had 
she appeared unexpectedly. Confessing 
herself as satisfied with the life the girls 
were leading and the work they were 
accomplishing, almost immediately she had 
returned to her home near Boston, never at 
any time mentioning Mrs. Burton’s name, 
even to make an inquiry concerning her 
health. 

The little apartment was comfortable. 
There \yere no signs of the wealth and 
luxury with which in the past, during the 
periods when their guardian was with them, 
Miss Patricia had surrounded the Sunrise 


THE APARTMENT 


95 


Camp Fire. This, Miss Patricia explained, 
was due to two reasons. The erection of a 
home for French war orphans in one of the 
devasted regions of France was absorbing 
more of her capital than she had anticipated ; 
moreover, she wished the girls to live simply 
and to resist the temptation of the worldli- 
ness of the city she professed to abhor. 

The front door of the little apartment 
now opened a second time. Carrying 
several books under her arm and a package 
in her hand, Vera entered. 

“ Sorry to have been delayed, Sally, but 
I had to go several places before I could 
find the kind of cake you said you wished 
for tea. I wanted to help you get things 
ready; you seem to do so much more work 
these days than the rest of us in spite of 
our classes and Bettina's social settlement.” 

“You are not the last, Vera. Where is 
Alice? I thought you would come home 
together.” 

Vera smiled; there was a unique quality 
in her appearance which made her interest- 
ing always, even if she were handsome to 
only a few persons. In her large eyes with 
their heavy lashes, her wide mouth and 


96 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


irregular nose there was a charm of char- 
acter and intelligence more marked than 
conventional beauty. 

“Alice and I said farewell half an hour 
ago and she was to hurry home. I saw her 
stop to speak to her cousin, Philip Stead, for 
a moment and I suppose they have not 
been able to separate. Dear me, I hoped 
that Alice and I were to remain eternal 
friends without masculine interference, but 
these last few weeks Alice is failing me! 
She insists that she is only friendly with 
Philip Stead because he is her cousin and 
a stranger in New York, and lonely.” 

“Never mind, Yera, you may have me 
to take Alice’s place. I shall never desert 
you. I am through with all masculine 
friendships forever, besides their being 
through with me!” Sally Ashton returned, 
thinking of the letter she had just finished 
re-reading. At the same time she extended 
her hand for the package. 

“Thanks for the cake, but I did find time 
to make the kind Tante specially likes! 
However, we will manage to get through 
with both. You girls are becoming so 
learned as college students that I try to 


THE APARTMENT 


97 


cling to the few useful feminine arts which 
represent my only talents.” 

“And the greatest of us is Sally!” 
Bettina Graham exclaimed, coming into 
the sitting-room, clad in her Camp Fire 
costume. “There is Alice at the door. 
Suppose we light our candles and begin our 
Camp Fire meeting, while she slips into her 
Camp Fire dress. Tante told us not to 
await her arrival. She is too uncertain of 
coming. And besides I hope we may have 
an opportunity to discuss the addition of 
Juliet Temple to our Sunrise Camp Fire 
club. We have had this in mind for some 
time. Is it our duty to add to our old group 
now so many of the original group have 
vanished? Juliet Temple has lived in the 
same house with us and is at present living 
with our Camp Fire guardian, so she 
seems the most natural person to invite.” 

A few moments later, when the business 
had been disposed of, Alice Ashton, con- 
tinuing the subject Bettina had introduced, 
said slowly, with the seriousness character- 
istic of her: 

“I feel as you girls do about Juliet 
Temple. I never have really liked her, 


98 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


although it would be difficult to say why. 
Perhaps it is because she has been so 
reticent about her past history and revealed 
so little interest in us. I feel that she does 
not especially desire to become a member 
of our Sunrise Camp Fire. She only wishes 
it because Tante wishes it and is our 
guardian. Possibly you girls may not 
agree with me, but now and then I have 
been afraid that my own distrust is largely 
jealousy. Juliet seems to have been able 
to make herself useful to Tante in ways 
none of us has succeeded in doing. Of late 
she depends upon her for a great variety of 
things. ,, 

Sally Ashton smiled. 

“Good old Alice, of course we realize 
that we are jealous of Juliet Temple! Are 
you actually only beginning to be conscious 
of the fact? Now I for one am in favor of 
asking her to become one of our Camp Fire 
girls for certain reasons I do not care to 
divulge at present. As I am more candid 
than the rest of you, besides having a less 
agreeable disposition, I want to say frankly 
that I shall be glad when for any cause 
Juliet and Tante separate. Aunt Patricia 


THE APARTMENT 


99 


has always disliked her and believes she 
has interfered with their devoted relation. 
I think she remains one of the reasons why 
Aunt Patricia refuses to be even friendly 
with Tante, when she is eating her heart 
out with loneliness and hurt pride. But 
goodness, there is the door bell and doubtless 
Juliet is outside! A reflection on our Camp 
Fire to be caught gossiping! Now if Tante 
suggests our inviting Juliet Temple to join 
our Sunrise Camp Fire group, and if Juliet 
wishes it and can pass the requisite tests, I 
see no reason we can offer for not including 
her. For a good many reasons I think it 
may be wiser to learn to know her better. 
Please put fresh wood on the fire, Fll open 
the door.” 

The following moment the Camp Fire 
guardian entered the room, followed by 
Sally Ashton, Juliet Temple and a third 
girl. 


CHAPTER VIII 


The Enigma 

H ALF an hour after, seated at the 
tea table, Sally Ashton was pre- 
siding over the serving of tea. She 
had agreed to relieve the Sunrise Camp 
Fire guardian of the responsibility in order 
that she might be able to talk more freely. 

A few feet away, surrounded by the other 
girls, Mrs. Burton was occasionally drink- 
ing her tea, but more frequently answering 
or asking questions. Her custom was to 
devote one afternoon each week to the 
ceremonial meeting of the Sunrise Camp 
Fire. Now and then her visits were inter- 
rupted and until to-day she had not been 
present in several weeks at one of the 
councils. 

Dressed in exquisite taste in olive green, 
trimmed in an odd, oriental embroidery of 
green and gold, her dark hair simply 
dressed, her health entirely restored, the 
Camp Fire guardian appeared not more 
( 100 ) 


THE ENIGMA 


101 


than ten years older than the oldest of her 
group of girls. 

“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you 
came directly to us, Gill, without even 
waiting to telegraph,” she was saying at 
this instant, speaking to the third girl who 
had entered the little apartment with her 
only a short time before. She was in deep 
mourning. 

“You will stay on here with us at least 
until you can make some arrangement you 
like better,” Bettina Graham added, slip- 
ping her hand inside her companion’s and 
looking at her with an expression of sym- 
pathy and affection. 

For the first time in their acquaintance 
Mary Gilchrist’s eyes filled with tears. 

“I knew no one else would be so kind, 
or give me such help, so, as soon after my 
father’s death as I could arrange my affairs 
I started east. But I did write and gave 
the letter to one of the men on the place to 
mail. We are several miles from a post- 
office and I wanted it to go at once. He 
must have forgotten, so the letter will prob- 
ably arrive later. 

“I have scarcely any relatives. My 


102 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


father left the farm in Kansas to me. Some 
day I shall go back and try to become a 
successful farmer, but when that time 
arrives I hope to take all the Sunrise Camp 
Fire home with me. At present I felt that 
I could not live on in the big empty house 
alone, so I left one of our men in charge 
and came to you. I know I failed to live 
up to the ideals of our Camp Fire when we 
were together last winter at Half Moon 
Lake, yet I believe you realize J shall try 
not to fail again.” 

“My dear Gill,” Sally announced from 
her place of honor at the tea table, “you 
have always taken the attitude that no 
one of us ever committed a fault in our 
Camp Fire life together until you failed to 
confess last winter to Allan Drain that 
accidentally you had thrown away the 
manuscripts of his poems. You did con- 
fess finally, so why not forget the whole 
occurrence! Certainly you are to live here 
with us this winter and occupy the room 
with me; Vera and Alice are together and 
Bettina and Elce, so I have been alone. 
Tante is so occupied with her work you 
will be less lonely with us and Miss Patricia 
I know will be delighted.” 


THE ENIGMA 


103 


“Nevertheless, Sally, don’t you think 
Gill had best be with me for a few weeks, or 
a few months, until she has rested?” the 
Camp Fire guardian protested glancing at 
the girl in whom the past few months had 
wrought such changes. 

Gill’s former air of almost boyish strength 
and vigor had vanished. Her cheeks were 
sunken, her eyes had lost their gaiety, even 
the characteristic light sprinkling of freckles, 
due to her constant outdoor life, were gone. 

Many weeks Mary Gilchrist had nursed 
her father with a completeness of devotion 
that had left no opportunity for an hour 
away from him. 

“No, certainly not, Tante; Gill will be a 
great deal better off here with us. I am 
sure she would be lonely with you; you are 
so busy these days and have so many 
strange people calling on you. There 
would be no one with whom Gill could talk, 
or who would look after her as I shall. I 
believe she needs being taken care of for a 
time.” 

Mrs. Burton glanced toward Sally, frown- 
ing. 

“You forget, Sally, Juliet Temple lives 


104 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


with me, and Gill would not have to be 
alone when I cannot be with her. Juliet 
takes wonderfully good care of me and I 
am sure would enjoy transferring her serv- 
ices to some one who has a better right to 
them. I am afraid I am growing lazy with 
Juliet looking after my business affairs, 
writing my notes and seeing that I am 
punctual for my engagements. In spite of 
my being a Camp Fire guardian and 
struggling to conquer all my faults of char- 
acter in order to be a proper example to 
you girls, I am afraid punctuality remains 
an effort. But Gill of course must do what 
she likes. I only wish her to realize I want 
to have her, if she chooses to be with Juliet 
and me. Juliet is not a member of the 
Sunrise Camp Fire, but may be some day.” 

The grating of a key in the front door 
lock prevented further conversation at the 
moment. 

Sally arose from the tea table. 

“I wonder who that can be? No one 
has a key to our apartment except our own 
family and no one is away from home!” 

The instant later a familiar step was 
heard in the hall and then a tall, spare 
figure entered the sitting-room. 


THE ENIGMA 


105 


“Aunt Patricia Lord, who dreamed you 
were in New York and how glad we are to 
see you! Come and sit down and let me 
give you your tea at once, I know it is tea 
you always wish after a journey!” Sally 
exclaimed, putting her arms about the 
elderly spinster and embracing her. 

“Sure and I do, my dear,” Miss Patricia 
agreed, relaxing into a mild Irish brogue, 
which with her was always a sign of especial 
satisfaction. “And glad I am to arrive at 
a Camp Fire meeting. Perhaps it was my 
duty to have let you know of my coming, 
but of a sudden I grew so lonely I could not 
wait to see what mischief you were up to at 
present. If my little room is occupied Fll 
go to a hotel to-night and come to see you 
to-morrow.” 

Her usual sternness relaxed, Miss Pa- 
tricia looked from one member of the little 
group to the other. Suddenly her face 
stiffened and hardened. 

The Camp Fire guardian had risen and 
was moving toward her with both hands 
outstretched in a lovely, pleading gesture. 

“Dear Aunt Patricia, surely you will 
speak to me? What have I done to offend 


106 BY] THE BLUE LAGOON 

you so deeply? Do you realize that you 
have not replied to one of my letters or 
allowed me to see you since we parted at 
Half Moon Lake?” 

“I realize it perfectly, Polly, and I refuse 
to speak to no one. How do you do. You 
may give my love to your husband. Sally, 
if it is not too much trouble I prefer to go 
to my room and have my tea there. Gill, 
is that you? Come and kiss me, I was 
sorry to hear of your loss.” 

Miss Patricia was turning away when 
the Camp Fire guardian spoke a second 
time. 

“Don’t go, Aunt Patricia, on my account, 
I will leave at once. Our Camp Fire meet- 
ing is over and the girls will wish to talk 
with you. I wonder if you know how it 
hurts me for you to be unwilling to remain 
in the same room with me? Once I thought 
you cared for me — a little.” 

Without replying the gaunt figure moved 
away, Sally following her. 

Bettina Graham put her arm about the 
younger woman. 

“You are not to go, Tante, we will not 
allow it. Aunt Patricia is too absurd and 


THE ENIGMA 


107 


unkind! It would be difficult to forgive 
her, if one did not appreciate that she is 
suffering more than any one else. Besides, 
you promised to recite for us before you 
left.” 

Mrs. Burton made a swift gesture 

“ Please release me from my promise, I 
don’t feel that I can just now. Aunt 
Patricia’s attitude toward me makes me 
more unhappy than any one knows. Juliet, 
I prefer to go home alone and I wish to 
walk. Will you stay and talk to the girls 
about becoming a member of their Sunrise 
Camp Fire. If they are willing and you 
will conform to the Camp Fire requirements 
I should like it very much.” 

With Bettina’s assistance putting on her 
hat and coat, Mrs. Burton lingered a 
moment longer. 

“Will you really be disappointed if I do 
not recite for you? I don’t wish to be 
selfish and shall keep Aunt Patricia away 
from you only a few moments more. 

“The other day I came across this poem 
written by an old friend of mine. I shall 
only repeat a part of it. I don’t suppose 
if Aunt Patricia is in her room that I shall 
annoy her. I’ll speak quietly.” 


108 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


If Mrs. Burton's tone was low, her voice 
held the quality that no one who heard it 
ever forgot. 

The little Camp Fire sitting-room was 
now in shadow with only the light of the 
dying fire and the flickering candles. 

“Be with us, Beauty, through the toil of life, 

Through youth and through the everlasting 
years, 

That we may live unwearied by the strife 
Knowing the wisdom of laughter and tears. 

“Be with us, Duty, while we seek the goal, 

Honor and fame, courage and high desire, 

Sister of Beauty, as the mortal soul 
Kindles the body with her sacred fire.” 

There was a moment of silence as Mrs. 
Burton ended. Then with a wave of her 
hand and a few words of farewell, she went 
quickly away. 

Immediately after Sally returned. 

“I am sorry not to have been able to say 
good-by to Tante, but Aunt Patricia kept 
me standing in the hall while she listened 
hungrily to her every word. She then shut 
me out of her room. I never knew any one 
who was behaving more foolishly, and I 
should tell her so, if I dared,” 


THE ENIGMA 


109 


“ Juliet Temple, now that we have an 
opportunity, would you care to discuss 
becoming a member of our Camp Fire? We 
have never understood whether you really 
wished it.” 

At Sally’s words the other girls resumed 
their positions on their ceremonial cushions, 
which left the one girl an outsider. She 
remained standing, facing them. 

“ Won’t you please be seated,” Bettina 
invited, acting as spokesman for her Camp 
Fire group which was her usual task. 

“You know of course that our guardian 
desires you to become a member of our 
Camp Fire and what her wish and influence 
mean, but the fact remains that you have 
never shown any interest in the organiza- 
tion or suggested in any way that you would 
care to join us. After spending several 
months with us at Half Moon Lake you 
know something of our requirements and 
our ideals. Will you please be perfectly 
candid?” 

At Bettina’s request, Juliet Temple had 
not sat down. 

Instead she stood looking down at the 
six girls as if slightly amused by Bettina’s 
speech. 


110 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 

Never at any time in her memory had 
she cared for intimate girl friends. Never 
had she cared less for one than at the present 
time. Among the girls before her of vary- 
ing tastes and temperaments not one attract- 
ed her. 

“You are very kind and I am sure Mrs. 
Burton intends being equally so and yet I 
feel it best I should not become a member 
of your Sunrise Camp Fire. You know 
nothing of my histqry, little of my disposi- 
tion and tastes and I might prove entirely 
uncongenial to you. I appreciate that you 
are inviting me, not on my account, but on 
Mrs. Burton’s and yet I am none the less 
grateful. There are certain obligations in 
the Camp Fire, certain promises I do not 
feel willing to make. I am going to ask one 
favor. Please do not speak of this to Mrs. 
Burton; allow me to explain my position 
to her. She may be disappointed and her 
friendship means a great deal to me, more 
than any one of you can realize.” 

“Why can’t we realize it? I think I do 
better than you imagine,” Sally Ashton 
returned, looking closely at the girl who 
had just finished speaking. “I don’t mean 


THE ENIGMA 


111 


to be unkind and naturally we don't wish 
you to join our Camp Fire circle unless it 
would give you a great deal of pleasure 
and be a help to you as well. I do under- 
stand, however, that you wish to gain a 
great deal from your association with our 
Camp Fire guardian and to separate her 
from us as much as possible. We are not 
really so stupid as you consider us. But 
there, I am extremely sorry to have been 
rude to you, and Mrs. Burton would be 
angry," Sally confessed. 

Alice Ashton rose and slipped her arm 
through the other girl's. 

It was dark outside and twilight in the 
little room. 

“Will you forgive Sally? No one of us 
agrees with her and come and see us when- 
ever you have time. Then we shall learn 
to understand one another better and you 
may change your mind about our Camp 
Fire." 

“Sally, it was you who suggested that we 
invite Juliet Temple to join our Camp Fire 
group. I cannot understand your be- 
havior," Bettina Graham said reproachfully 
when the unwelcome visitor had disap- 
peared. 


112 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Sally looked uncommonly penitent. 

“I wanted to ask her simply because I 
felt sure she would decline. She has some 
reason for not desiring any of us to know 
her too intimately. I am sure I regret 
being rude to her. Unexpectedly I seem 
to have lost my temper.” 

“ Undoubtedly you did, Sally, and she 
was our guest,” Bettina protested. 

She was interrupted by the re-entrance 
of Miss Patricia into the room. Vera 
switched on the electric light and Miss 
Patricia gave a sigh of relief. 

“I am glad that girl has gone; I don’t 
trust her for some reason. But there, I 
suppose I resent Polly’s affection and 
dependence upon her. It is very odd. At 
first she appeared to have no force of char- 
acter, but she is cleverer than I gave her 
credit for; I sometimes fear she is cleverer 
than any one of us. Without her being 
aware of it, from the first moment of their 
acquaintance she has flattered Polly, when 
I employed too much the other method. 
Well, I am glad she is apparently so devoted 
to her interests. Polly no longer has any 
sense of affection or of duty toward me.” 


THE ENIGMA 


113 


Bettina rose and placed her arm about 
the older woman, drawing her down into 
the most comfortable chair. 

“ Nonsense, Aunt Patricia, nothing sep- 
arates you from Tante save your own 
obstinacy and self-will. Forgive me, but 
I must say it. Juliet Temple is only an 
excuse. Tante has no special affection for 
her. Juliet has her own living to make and 
few friends, and Tante finds her fairly useful 
and wishes to be kind. But she is devoted 
to you and your unkindness to her is her 
one sorrow in her happy and successful 
winter. Certainly she deserves her suc- 
cess, after so long a sacrifice of her time 
and talent to us.” 

“We will not discuss my relation with 
Polly, Bettina. Girls, change your cos- 
tumes and let us go out for dinner. It is 
too late to prepare anything at home.” 


CHAPTER IX 


The House by the Blue Lagoon 

^TT is enchanting, Betty. How in the 
world did you and Anthony make 
^ the discovery?” 

“By accident, dear. We were with some 
friends on a yacht sailing about in the bay, 
when afar off I spied this tiny island and 
asked if we might anchor here for an hour 
and investigate. 

“One^could not see the house from the 
shore, but Anthony and I followed the line 
of the lagoon until on an autumn afternoon 
we found it in its deserted splendor. It is 
a theory of mine, Polly, that each one of us 
possesses a house of dreams. As soon as 
my eyes fell upon this, I recognized it as 
mine. But don’t let me tire you either 
with my enthusiasm, or by trying to make 
you see everything at once. Were I wise 
I should keep a fresh attraction for each 
day that I might have you with me the 
longer.” 


( 114 ) 


BY THE BLUE LAGOON 115 


The two friends were walking about in 
an open space of lawn before a house built 
like an English manor house. The house 
had fallen into partial decay; on this spring 
day pale green tendrils of ivy climbed the 
old walls, in the eaves birds were building 
their nests, here and there bits of the 
stone were crumbling away.” 

“We shall never have the money to re- 
build the place and have the house appear 
as it must have a hundred years ago, but I 
am not altogether sorry. When Anthony 
found the old place was for sale and the 
whole of the little island he told me that if 
we bought it I must never expect this. We 
only hope to keep it from further destruc- 
tion.” 

“You don’t mean that you actually own 
the whole of this island, Betty, all these 
magnificent trees, the blue lagoon, the shore 
line with its view of the sea? Let us walk 
down to the lagoon and rest for a few 
moments. I am more tired than I realized 
after last night’s journey. As soon as it is 
warm enough I shall crawl into a small boat 
and anchor myself in the lagoon for days 
and nights, when you have grown weary of 


116 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 

my society. This might be known as a 
place of heavenly rest. In sailing across to 
the island so late yesterday afternoon, I 
only had a brief glimpse of the lagoon, 
which cuts into the island from the bay 
does it not, as if it were an arm reaching 
into the shore.” 

Betty Graham nodded. 

“Yes, the island is nearly a complete 
circle. One can start from a bank of the 
lagoon, follow the shore line and return to 
the opposite bank. Originally the lagoon 
was to form an anchorage for boats without 
having to depend on the tides. Once the 
channel was dug the water has forced its 
way in until the lagoon has become sur- 
prisingly deep. You must promise me to 
be careful, Polly. I can well imagine your 
dreaming in your boat and being carried out 
into the bay and then on toward the sea.” 

“Well, dear, would it be a bad way of 
ending things? Yet I believe I would rather 
float into your blue lagoon from the sea 
than away from it. I wonder if the depth 
of the water makes it appear blue as the 
waters in the Tropics? Please tell the 
Camp Fire girls to be careful. What a 


BY THE BLUE LAGOON 117 


magical place to bring a lot of people to- 
gether in! I was sorry not to come to you 
with the Camp Fire girls, but had to give 
a half dozen more performances of ‘A Tide 
in the Affairs’, before my season ended. It 
was difficult at best, Betty, dear, to close 
things up while the play was in the height 
of its popularity. I never could have man- 
aged save that you and Richard saw to it 
that in my original contract I was to be 
released from playing in the spring. I am 
supposed to put the same play on next fall, 
yet I really don’t wish to. I was never 
enthusiastic over it.” 

“I was not either, Polly, as I told you. 
Why not play something else? It was 
never big enough for you!” 

All very well, Betty Graham, but you 
know nothing of the difficulty of discovering 
a worth-while play in accord with one’s 
personality or talents. The good fortune 
of a real play comes only once or twice in a 
lifetime.” 

Mrs. Graham hesitated. 

“ Polly, while you are here do me a favor. 
In a rash moment I told Allan Drain, our 
young poet-playwright, to bring the manu- 


118 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


script of his latest effort and that if you 
were in a good humor you might permit 
him to read it to you. There is no reason 
to believe his play would be any worse than 
other plays one has seen. The boy is very 
ambitious and I think clever and I have 
invited him for several weeks, so you will 
have a chance to rest beforehand.” 

Mrs. Burton stopped and frowned. 

“ Betty, dear, please don’t ask this of me. 
Of course if you make it a favor to you, I 
have no choice but to agree. But I am so 
tired and shall never be rested in a few 
weeks. [Of course this is not the real 
trouble. You don’t know how disagreeable 
it is to have youthful geniuses read you 
their efforts and then be obliged to tell them 
the truth about their work, or at least the 
truth as one sees it. It hurts them horribly 
when you cannot admire what they have 
done and often they never forgive you. 
Besides, I am a sympathetic person and 
really hate having to wound them. As for 
your young playwright, Allan Drain, to 
whom you have taken an unaccountable 
fancy, I several times allowed him to read 
his efforts to me during the winter when we 


BY THE BLUE LAGOON 119 


were shut up in the mountains.* I was not 
busy then and more amiable. His work 
was only fairly good; really he did not 
reveal exceptional ability. I am cross and 
tired now and it would only destroy the 
boy’s pleasure and mine to have to disap- 
point him. I cannot have him encouraged 
in the idea that I would ever consider one 
of his youthful effusions. You are not dis- 
appointed, are you?” 

“ A little, Polly, but the main thing is that 
you must not be worried, or have anything 
affect the pleasure of your first visit to me 
in ‘ The House by the Blue Lagoon ’. I hope 
you won’t mind the young people.” 

Mrs. Burton laughed. 

“ If you mean my Camp Fire girls, Betty, 
I regard the speech as too impossible to 
answer. As for the youths whom you have 
asked to entertain them, or be entertained 
by them, I’ve an idea that no one of them 
will have any attention or time to spare for 
me. Who is here? Not coming down to 
dinner last evening I am not sure of all the 
names the girls poured into my ears.” 

“Oh, only the girls’ special friends, Dan 

* See “Camp Fire Girls at Half Moon Lake.” 


120 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Webster, David Hale, Allan Drain of course, 
Philip Stead, Alice’s and Sally’s cousin, and 
Robert Burton. Bettina surprised me by 
suggesting that I ask the young fellow whom 
she met by accident in New York when she 
was searching for you. I wonder if she has 
seen a great deal of him in the past winter? 
Has she spoken of him to you? He seems 
a pleasant chap and admires Sally Ashton. 
Do you know, Polly, I have half an idea 
that David Hale is in love with Bettina, and 
although she is absurdly young, now and 
then I feel that I would rather she return 
his affection and lead a woman’s natural 
existence than pursue this idea of social 
service that the winter’s experience, which 
I hoped in a way might cure her, seems to 
have deepened. Anthony says David Hale 
has a brilliant future ahead of him.” 

The two friends sat down on a low stone 
bench a few feet from the lagoon. In the 
April sky small white clouds played at hide 
and seek upon the field of blue, reflected in 
the deeper blue of the water. 

“ And you would like Bettina, Betty dear, 
to repeat your own life, marry a famous man 
and be happy ever after? Most parents 


BY THE BLUE LAGOON 121 


seem to want their children to repeat their 
lives, if they have been at all happy and 
successful. Yet how few of them ever do! 
Don’t set your heart on this idea of Bettina 
and David. She does not care for him.” 

“ Nonsense, Polly, how do you know! I 
believe she likes him extremely. She used 
to write me of him from France.” 

“Very well, I won’t argue the question. 
There is one person you have left out of 
your house party, I am afraid purposely, 
and for my sake I want you to relent. You 
did not tell me that I might bring Juliet 
Temple with me, and I need her. Do you 
dislike her? I never have understood the 
situation; not one of my Camp Fire girls has 
ever made a friend of her, Aunt Patricia is 
violently prejudiced against her, only Rich- 
ard and I are fond of her. I can scarcely 
tell you how much she does for us both. 
She is extremely clever and of late not only 
has kept house for me, but attends to small 
business matters that are so annoying. 
She writes out all the checks for the trades- 
people and merely brings them to me to 
sign, and oh, I scarcely know what she does 
not attend to! Richard is always congratu- 


122 BY > THE BLUE LAGOON 


lating himself at having discovered and 
brought her to me at Half Moon Lake. 
The child does not mind doing what a maid 
would do when I am very tired or very 
busy, although of course I do not feel I 
should allow this. I have no right to ask 
you a favor, have I, Betty, having just 
refused the one you asked me?” 

Betty Graham put her arm about her 
companion, whose frailty always gave her 
a pang when they met again after any 
length of parting. 

“Oh, have your Juliet Temple if you wish 
and are so dependent upon her. You know 
you can do anything you like so far as I am 
concerned. Yet I think you are making a 
mistake to trust the girl to such an extent 
and certainly you should not have her look 
after your business affairs. She might be 
careless, and as you are extremely careless 
yourself, Polly, and Richard not much better, 
there might be unnecessary temptations. 
I really believe you both do need Aunt 
Patricia.” 

Mrs. Burton shrugged her shoulders. 

“You did not succeed in inducing Aunt 
Patricia to make you the visit while I am 


BY THE BLUE LAGOON 123 


here, did you? I am sorry, although not 
surprised. Richard went to see her not 
long ago and she seemed rather pathetically 
pleased, made him stay in the house with 
her and would hardly allow him out of her 
sight. She refused, however, to forgive me 
for whatever imaginary wrong I have com- 
mitted. She says now that she had grown 
so old and difficult that I returned to the 
stage largely in order to be rid of her and 
that she refuses to be any further burden 
upon me. And this in view of the fact that 
Aunt Patricia has taken care of me as if I 
were a child, has lavished her wealth and 
time and strength upon me and never 
allowed me to do anything of any kind to 
repay her. Well, I am through with mak- 
ing repeated efforts to have her forgive me, 
for what I am not sure. Alice Ashton and 
Vera Lagerloff seem to have taken my place 
and I trust she may find them more satis- 
fying than she ever did me. At no time do 
I remember Aunt Patricia’s approving of 
anything I ever thought or did. 

“ Don’t talk as if you were a spoiled child, 
Polly; at any moment you need Aunt 
Patricia she will come to you at once.” 


124 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 

Mrs. Burton shook her head. 

“No, I shall never allow it, or accept any 
favor from her again. I told Richard this 
when he returned and said Aunt Patricia 
still declined to have anything to do with 
me. I asked him to write this to her, that 
I should not trouble her at any time in the 
future. But about Juliet Temple! The 
child is alone in my New York apartment; 
Richard is out of town on business for a 
few days, and I am afraid she is lonely. 
She has no friends and no relatives except a 
brother, whom I am afraid, from what she 
has told me, is not of much account. She 
seems fond of him, however, and they come 
from this part of the country I believe; I 
am" not sure just where. As for trusting 
Juliet to attend to my business affairs, there 
is an especial reason why I wish her to appre- 
ciate that I have entire faith in her. She 
gave me her confidence upon an occasion 
when there was no necessity for it and I 
have always believed in her. As far as 
money goes, Betty, I am not rich enough 
to be a temptation to anyone. You know 
that Richard and I made some unfortunate 
investments after our return from France 


BY THE BLUE LAGOON 125 


and lost the small estate we had saved 
between us. You did not know that other 
people were also involved and because 
Richard was one of the officers of the com- 
pany, we both feel that we want to pay 
back to them at least a portion of what they 
lost. I made a good deal of money last 
winter, but have kept only what we need 
for our personal expenses until fall, when I 
start to work.” 

“Oh, Polly, you are so quixotic and so 
unpractical! Suppose you should fall ill 
again? But there, forgive me, I should not 
have spoken of such a possibility. When 
we are both old and you have grown tired 
of being famous and admired, will you come 
here and live with me at my ‘ House by the 
Blue Lagoon'?” 

Mrs. Burton laughed. 

“Yes, Betty dear, I'll hide somewhere in 
one of your secret passages, while you enter- 
tain house parties of distinguished persons 
from Washington, or elsewhere— Senators, 
Ambassadors, even Congressmen. With 
all my love for my work, it is you who are 
admired and who care for society. Small 
wonder Bettina was never able to keep up 


126 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


with you! Here comes Bettina with her 
shadows, Elce and the little girl she brought 
from the settlement. 'Ardelia in ArcadyM 
Do you recall the old story of the child who 
came from the city to the country and was 
expected to care for it and did not? It 
was very amusing. Bettina’s latest proteg6 
is a pathetic little figure, with her crutch 
and her city pallor, but she feels dreadfully 
lost on your desert island amid all this 
beauty and romance. She is a little daugh- 
ter of the tenement ! I believe I can under- 
stand her better than you or Bettina.” 

“ Princess, what are our visitors doing? 
Polly and I ran away for an hour’s quiet 
talk. She is to learn to love our place 
nearly as much as I do,” Mrs. Graham 
exclaimed. 

Bettina Graham came nearer. She looked 
grave and sweet, although a little smile 
showed at the corners of her lips. 

“Oh, they are perfectly well entertained 
without us, dear, and I thought Maida and 
Elce needed my society for a little w r hile. 

“We have small hope of seeing much of 
you and Tante for a few days until you have 
grown accustomed to the wholly new exper- 


BY THE BLUE LAGOON 127 


ience of being with each other. You are 
worse than lovers. 

“ Actually, mother, your house party has 
accepted your suggestion and has set to 
work to make you a garden, a new garden 
where the old one has been this hundred or 
more years. It is a charming idea! We 
are to leave such shrubs and roses as will 
bloom. David Hale and Dan Webster have 
taken charge and say we are to work two 
hours every morning, before we are allowed 
to do anything else — boat, or bathe, or fish, 
or sail. It is to be a memory or a friend- 
ship garden, although we intend to find a 
prettier and more original title. Anyhow, 
the garden is to commemorate our first 
Camp Fire house party by the blue lagoon. 
Isn’t the place exquisite, Tante? Sitting 
here by the lagoon can one imagine the 
poverty and sorrow I see every day in my 
settlement work, or such an experience as 
Maida’s, whose father is responsible for her 
lameness? Forgive me, mother, I prom- 
ised myself not to speak of these things, 
or even to think of them while I am on 
your enchanted island.” 

“This is not my kingdom, Princess, but 


128 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


yours when you will come home to it, yours 
and Polly’s. It is only you people who 
work for others who deserve enchanted 
islands. I am delighted to hear about my 
new garden and my gardeners. We must 
send for all the flowers we can think of, as 
April is the perfect month for planting. Do 
you know I always have wanted a blue 
garden, I suppose because I have loved 
blue more than any color all my life and 
wondered why there were so few blue 
flowers. Suppose we plant only blue flowers 
here by the blue lagoon. 

“You stay here, dear, I must go and see 
about luncheon. Bring Polly back with 
you. I don’t want her to go off alone to 
explore our island and am afraid she has it 
in mind. One always has the feeling that 
she will slip away from one somehow.” 

“No such good fortune, Betty! Bettina, 
while I think of it, mother has agreed to let 
me have Juliet Temple here with me, al- 
though I am afraid you girls do not want 
her. I wish you would not be so prejudiced 
and unfair. She will not be troublesome or 
intrude on you I am sure, but you will try 
and see that she has an agreeable time.” 


BY THE BLUE LGAOON 129 


“ Naturally, Tante, I am not apt to be 
rude to a guest and will do what I can. 
Your Camp Fire girls hoped you would be 
willing to allow us to be with you and do 
whatever you wished to have done for the 
little time you are here. If you cannot get 
on without Juliet Temple, we shall of course 
be friendly to her. She has been unfriendly, 
we never have.” 

“You are cross already, Bettina. Will 
you speak to Sally? Obviously Sally does 
not like Juliet, and Sally has a habit of 
frankness. Tell her I shall be hurt and dis- 
pleased if she is not especially kind. Now 
let us talk of something else. Ask Elce and 
your little lame girl to come and sit by us. 

“Elce, if you will sing for me some day 
all alone here by the blue lagoon, I’ll recite 
a poem to you about these old trees: 

“When by the spring’s enchanting blue, 

You trace your slender leaves and few, 

Then do I wish myself re-born 
To lands of hope, to lands of morn. 

“And when your wear your rich attire, 

Your autumn garments touched with fire, 

I want again that ardent soul 

That dared the race and dreamed the goal. 


130 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“But, oh, when leafless dark and high, 

You rise against this winter’s sky, 

I hear God’s word: “ Stand still and see 
How fair is mine austerity. 

“Come, let us go back to the house, it 
must be nearly lunch time.” 


CHAPTER X 


One Night 

T HE grounds surrounding the old 
house were hung with Chinese lan- 
terns. 

Walking about in the semi-darkness were 
groups of figures, ordinarily two in number. 

In the big drawing-room the music had 
just ceased, while the musicians were having 
their supper and a brief rest. Senator and 
Mrs. Graham were giving an informal dance 
for their daughter and house party. 

Other guests had crossed over from the 
mainland, which was not an hour’s journey 
in a motor boat or one of the small steam- 
boats that carried mail and provisions, but 
was apt to be a long crossing in the uncer- 
tainty of a sail, and almost impossible in 
a rowboat, unless one were a singularly 
strong oarsman. 

There were half a dozen young officers 
from the fort and as many girls from a 
fashionable hotel on the Virginia coast. 

( 131 ) 


132 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“ Sally, it has been utterly impossible to 
have a word with you, to say nothing of a 
dance! A fellow likes a girl to be a good 
dancer, but not so good that he never has 
a chance with her. I must say that you 
and Robert Burton look pretty well to- 
gether, he dances almost as well as you do 
and makes me feel awkward and clumsy. 
Somehow I am surprised that you are such 
a fine dancer, Sally, when you don’t like 
other kinds of exercise,” Dan Webster con- 
cluded. 

“If you are going to start our walk, Dan, 
enumerating my faults, I do not intend to 
go one step with you, although it is one of 
your favorite amusements. All very well 
we have known each other a long time, but 
I do not think that a sufficient excuse.” 

Arm in arm Sally Ashton and Dan Web- 
ster were sauntering away from the veranda 
toward a more deserted portion of the lawn. 

Sally spoke in the demure tone and 
manner, which oftentimes disturbed her 
companion, since he was not able to guess 
whether she were in earnest or amusing 
herself at his expense. 

“Nonsense, Sally, I could not enumerate 


ONE NIGHT 


133 


your faults for any length of time! I only 
think you possess two or three faults, and 
sometimes, not often, I have been known to 
speak of them. 

“ At present I cannot imagine what I have 
said or done to annoy you, unless following 
you around all evening and trying to induce 
you to pay some slight attention to me has 
troubled you. In that case of course in 
future I shall leave you alone. 

“I joined the house party when it was 
extremely difficult for me to be spared from 
the farm, chiefly in order to see you. I have 
seen less of you than any one else and at 
times this has not looked like an accident. 
If this is true will you be kind enough to 
be frank.” 

Sally gave her companion’s arm a slight 
squeeze. 

“ Don’t be such a bear, Dan. You al- 
ways were a surly small boy when you were 
annoyed in the days we used to play 
together. 

“ There is a hammock under the linden 
trees; let us sit down if you do not mind, 
I am a little tired after dancing so long. 
You know perfectly well how much engaged 


134 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


we all have been since our arrival at the 
island. You rep oach me for not deliber- 
ately separating myself from the others, 
when I have not said a single word to you 
for failing to write me a half dozen letters 
all during the past winter. I suppose you 
were writing to so many other persons !” 

“ No such thing, Sally. As you well know, 
I simply can’t write letters that are worth 
a row of pins; they never seem to express 
what I think or feel, and I am afraid of 
boring you. If I speak of something now, 
you won’t consider that I intend criticizing 
you; I suppose I do keep more of a watch 
on you than on other girls, because I am 
more interested. Twice lately you have 
deserted every one in the house party and 
gone off somewhere to some mysterious part 
of the island alone. Please don’t repeat 
this. You see it does not look well and 
worries me. The island is fairly deserted, 
but there are spots where fishing boats 
might land, or people out for a holiday. 
If you feel you want to be alone, I can 
follow you and promise not to interfere in 
any way.” 

In a hammock swung by chains in a small 


ONE NIGHT 


135 


grove of linden trees, Dan and Sally sat 
down. 

The April night was surprisingly warm 
with a breath of summer that comes now 
and then in the southern spring. The tiny 
blooms of the trees made a shower of fra- 
grant gold about them. From beyond blew 
the salt breath of the sea. 

Sally remained quiet a moment before 
replying. 

“ You are very kind, Dan, I am sorry you 
have noticed that I have gone away once 
or twice alone. I have not been in the 
slightest danger and had a definite reason 
for going. I can’t tell you what this is, 
probably it is not of any consequence, yet I 
must ask you under no circumstances to 
follow me.” 

“And I decline to make you such a 
promise, Sally, in fact I forbid your wander- 
ing about the island alone. If there is any 
mystery connected with your behavior, I 
thought you hated mysteries; in fact you 
assured me that after your experience in 
caring for Lieutenant Fleury* in France, 
you were through with all secrecy forever!” 

* See "Camp Fire Girls in Glorious France.” 


136 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“ There is no especial mystery in what I 
am interested in at present, Dan, at least 
nothing of importance. Indeed, I am 
indulging in a whim, and a£ I am doing no 
one any harm I think I have the ’ right. 
Perhaps I shall not keep up my quest very 
long, only a few days until I make a dis- 
co very/ J she added, feeling a stiffening of 
the figure beside her and appreciating, with- 
out having to behold the firm line of the 
lips. She and Dan Webster had known 
each other so many years that there were 
traits of his character she thoroughly under- 
stood. 

“Besides,” she protested, as an after- 
thought, “you have not the faintest right 
to forbid my doing anything I wish.” 

“No, I suppose not,” Dan returned, not 
looking toward Sally, but at the old house 
a short distance away, shadowy and stately 
under the stars. “I presume I never shall 
have that right, even if you come to care 
for me some day as I hope you may care. 
Indeed, I almost believed you would when 
we parted last, but now I see what an 
ass I was. I told you then I would not 
speak of this until you were older and I had 


ONE NIGHT 


137 


made something of myself. I never will 
amount to much, Sally, I see that pretty 
plainly here in comparison with only a 
small group of other fellows. David Hale 
is the real thing, brilliant and ambitious and 
knows what an educated man should know. 
Allan Drain is the artist with his writing of 
poetry and plays. He talks in a way that 
makes you sit up now and then, even when 
you do not agree with him or get all he 
means. Philip Stead is a student and will 
end by being a professor. Robert Burton 
I don’t understand so well, although he has 
something none of the rest of us have, not 
just good looks and good manners, while I — 
well, Sally, I only want to make things grow, 
to watch the wheat ripen and turn gold, 
the cows on the old New Hampshire hill- 
sides feeding beside their calves. The farm 
is double the size it was once and I intend 
it shall be four times larger. I mean to 
gather men about me interested in making 
agriculture what it should be and farmers’ 
lives the most independent and worth while. 
When I am rich, rich as ever I am apt to 
be, I plan to found an agricultural school 
and to give the land and the benefit of the 


138 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


experience I have had and my father and 
grandfather before me. Don’t think I fail 
to realize how dull this sounds; when I 
speak of it most people yawn or struggle to 
appear polite and change the subject. I 
do$’t care, it is only how you feel, Sally, 
that matters. You have had so much 
experience and this past winter in New 
York has changed you more even than the 
years abroad. Once upon a time you would 
have granted the small favor I just asked 
you, now you won’t even do this for me.” 

“Dan, you are stupid; I wonder some- 
times if I shall ever make you understand 
how dull you are on one particular subject. 
At present I’d rather you would not know. 
As for doing the favor you asked, I won’t 
because I have a reason which I believe 
justifies my refusing. You know how 
obstinate I am, everybody who knows me 
is of the same opinion on the subject. Why 
not try to trust me? As to the effect the 
past winter has had, I do feel older and 
more self-reliant. Mary Gilchrist was ill 
almost the entire winter and I had the care 
of her, then I was the housekeeper for the 
Camp Fire girls. Never apologize to me 



140 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


for your stupidity, Dan, dear, which I don’t 
think is apparent to any one save you. 
Among the Sunrise Camp Fire, no one 
even thinks of disputing the recognized 
fact that I am the least clever of all the 
girls. I do not even mind especially. I 
find life interesting and after all one can- 
not make oneself over altogether!” 

For the first time in the interview Dan 
laughed, a good natured, boyish laugh, full 
of strength and sweetness. 

“If you are stupid, Sally, then I am proud 
to be in the same company with you. I 
should like to know what Tante thinks of 
you! You may be less interested in books 
and more in human beings.” 

In the half darkness Sally smiled. 

A lantern in one of the trees overhead 
swung and tilted so that the light shone 
down on her face. 

Sally wore her rose-colored net and had a 
scarf of the same rose color about her 
shoulders. Tucked under her brown coil 
of hair in the fashion of the women who 
had danced in this old southern house and 
paraded its lawns a century ago, was a pink 
rose, a little crumpled now and faded. 


ONE NIGHT 


141 


Dan put up his hand and touched the 
rose gently, one could scarcely have thought 
there could be such gentleness in the strong 
fingers. 

“Give me your rose, please, Sally; I 
don’t know just why I want it, but I do. 
I never could see much sense in fellows 
wanting to hold on to things like this 
before.” 

Sally jumped up suddenly and the little 
rose fell to the ground. 

“Please be careful, Dan, here comes 
Tante and she may see you. I don’t know 
what she would think.” 

The girl’s movement arrested Mrs. Bur- 
ton’s attention. 

She was walking about in the silver night 
with Senator Graham, whom she had known 
many years before as a poor boy, with little 
education, with nearly every handicap, lack 
of family, of influence and position. He was 
now one of the distinguished men of the 
country. 

“Is that you, Sally and Dan? May I 
speak to you? Anthony, go back to Betty 
and see that she rests Tor a few moments, 
she is the most tireless hostess in the world! 


142 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Sally and Dan will escort me to the house 
if I am not able to walk the few yards alone. 
And will you tell Betty that if I disappear 
I have gone up to my own room. I shall 
listen to the music until the dancing ends 
and then go to bed. The boat goes back 
at midnight, so I suppose the dancing can’t 
last much longer.” 

Mrs. Burton sat down in the hammock 
between Sally and Dan, slipping a hand into 
each of theirs. 

Dan Webster was her nephew, the son of 
her twin sister and of the man who had 
been under the impression that he cared for 
her before his discovery that they were 
entirely unsuited, and that the sister, who 
was her opposite in everything save her 
personal appearance, was the real love of 
his life.* 

Sally Ashton was the daughter of two 
friends of her girlhood. 

With no children of her own, Mrs. Burton 
cherished a deep affection for Sally and for 
Dan, but for different reasons. One reason 
was the same — she had a feeling of depend- 
ence upon them both. Dan was nearly 

* See “Camp Fire Girls Amid the Snows.” 


ONE NIGHT 


143 


like her son. Sally Ashton, well, most 
people who knew Sally intimately did de- 
pend upon her, without being able to 
explain why. 

“Children, do a favor for me. You’ll 
hate it, but Sally has promised. Come with 
me and find Juliet Temple and see if she is 
having a good time. If she is not you’ll 
dance with her, Dan, and make yourself 
agreeable? Juliet has not been here so long 
as the rest of you and I am afraid feels 
lonely. She seems to spend most of her 
time alone. You like her well enough, don’t 
you, Dan?” 

“Of course, Tante, she seems all right, 
strikes me as clever. She isn’t about much; 
when she is, it never occurred to me that 
she would be interested in me. If you are 
fond of her I’ll do my best.” 

Dan put his arm about Mrs. Burton’s 
waist. 

“You are coming to the farm to be with 
us for a time when you finish your visit to 
the ‘ House by the Blue Lagoon’? Mother 
will never forgive you and will perish of 
jealousy if you do not. She does not 
enjoy the idea that you are fonder of Aunt 


144 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Betty than of your own twin sister. We 
both wish you would give up that plagued 
stage and you and Uncle Richard live 
with us until you are a little less like a 
wraith. But see here, Tante, I’ll strike a 
bargain with you. Sally will have nothing 
to do with me at present. If you will 
promise to bring her with you to the farm 
for a visit this summer I shall devote myself 
while I am here to your Juliet Temple, that 
is, if she will allow it.” 

Mrs. Burton smiled. 

“Dan, I suppose you know you are like 
your father, only nicer. I don’t want you 
to be so attentive as to deceive Juliet, only 
to see that she has a good time. I have 
been locking for her for the past hour and 
she does not seem to have danced with any 
one.” 

“Juliet may have gone for a walk, Tante, 
I think I saw her a short time, ago. I have 
not forgotten that you said you wished me 
to have her in mind,” Sally remarked. In 
her speech, or in her manner there was 
nothing that was unusual, nevertheless both 
Dan and the Camp Fire guardian were 
aware of bewilderment. 


ONE NIGHT 


145 


"Do you mind walking about with me for 
a few moments and trying to find her? Of 
course I know you do mind, but will you in 
any case?” Mrs. Burton pleaded. 

“I am a tiresome woman, Dan, to have 
interrupted your talk with Sally, but I will 
make it up to you some day. Sally is 
difficult, but worth the effort. You must 
promise me that you will say nothing to 
her and even feel nothing for the next few 
years, then I will be your warmest ally,” 
Mrs. Burton whispered, walking close be- 
side the tall fellow who towered nearly a foot 
above her, while Sally moved along the path 
in front of them, a figure of rose and silver. 

Half an hour later the Camp Fire guar- 
dian was sitting in her room half reading, 
half listening to the music and voices in the 
house and garden beneath her open win- 
dows. 

She was in her dressing gown and her 
hair was unbound. The big room was in 
shadow, save where the light fell about her 
reading-lamp. One could see the tall ceil- 
ings, the high windows, the few pieces of 
old English furniture, brought to America 
by the early Virginia settlers. 


10 


146 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


There was a faint noise of a door being 
softly pushed open in the adjoining room. 

“ Juliet, is that you?” Mrs. Burton in- 
quired. “Are you tired of the dance and 
on your way to bed as I am?” I looked for 
you before I came up and could not find you, 
I suppose you were somewhere in the 
grounds.” 

“Yes, I was. Is there anything I can do 
for you? Is your bed turned down?” the 
girl answered. 

Mrs. Burton nodded. 

“I believe so, but you must be more tired 
than I am, so please don’t trouble about me 
to-night. You are too considerate of me 
altogether. There is some business in the 
morning I should like to have you help me 
with for an hour or more. My accounts 
seemed to have become tangled in the most 
absurd fashion and I should like to have 
them straightened out before Captain Bur- 
ton joins us. You are a good mathemati- 
cian, Juliet, and neither of us are. Now go 
to bed.” 

The girl lingered. 

“I want to say something first, perhaps 
this is not the proper occasion, but it does 


ONE NIGHT 


147 


not make much difference. Since I came 
to live with you, Mrs. Burton, I have tried 
to make myself useful, but I don’t think I 
have ever spoken of the fact that I have 
grown to be very fond of you. Oh, I realize 
this is not an unusual experience so far as 
you are concerned, most of your friends and 
family seem to adore you, but it is unusual 
with me. I never have cared for any one, 
except my brother. I told you that he and 
I were orphans and that he was younger. 
Until he joined the army he gave me a good 
deal of trouble, but has been better since. 
I persuaded him to continue as an enlisted 
man and to try to pass the examinations for 
an appointment as an officer later.” 

“A wise idea, Juliet. Is there anything 
I can do to help you? I am not a very in- 
fluential person, but would do anything 
possible.” 

“No, no, there is nothing,” the girl re- 
turned hastily; “I am going to bed in a 
moment.” 

The older woman continued her reading, 
a little disturbed by the fact that her com- 
panion would not retire and leave her alone. 
She liked Juliet Temple and was grateful 


148 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


and appreciative, but never had felt for tier 
the spontaneous affection she had for her 
group of Sunrise Camp Fire girls. This 
fact did not trouble her, she never had 
cared equally for all the girls associated with 
her in the most intimate fashion during the 
past few years. Human nature makes its 
inevitable selections. At the moment not 
wishing to be unsympathetic she was hoping 
that her companion would make no special 
demand upon her at this hour of the night 
when they were both weary. Sentimen- 
tality in their relations the Sunrise Camp 
Fire girls never had indulged in and she 
never had encouraged. 

“Mrs. Burton, I hate to speak of this, 
but I must. Do you think you can give me 
a larger salary for the work I am doing for 
you. I need it a great deal.” 

A short silence, then Mrs. Burton laid 
down her book and flushed. 

“Juliet, is this what you have been trying 
to say? I am glad you have been frank, 
even though I must refuse your request. 
Please don’t think I am not sorry, but you 
understand Captain Burton’s and my cir- 
cumstances at present almost as well as we 


ONE NIGHT 


149 


do. You know we are trying to pay a debt 
that we believe we owe. We enjoy having 
you live with us, you have been the greatest 
aid and pleasure, but the fact is that you 
really have been spoiling me, as it is not 
actually essential that I should have you. 
I could manage to keep house with dear old 
Elspeth, who came to New York to be with 
me from Half Moon Lake, and who could 
probably look after things as well as you or 
I. I can even attend to my tiresome letters 
and business if I must. I have told you 
several times, dear, that I thought you were 
being wasted upon me. When I go back to 
town I can find you a much better position 
with a good deal larger salary. I can do this 
at once if you like.” 

The girl shook her head. 

“No, I told you I did not wish this, per- 
haps it does not matter, I may not need the 
money after all.” 

“ Don’t decide at once, Juliet. Good night. 
Are you having a happy time here? I wish 
you liked the Camp Fire girls better. You 
would be happier with more friends.” 

“Oh, the girls are agreeable enough, the 
fault is mine. Mrs. Burton, do you think 


150 BY THE BLUE LAGOON. 

\ 

it possible to be truly fond of any one and 
yet to do that person an unkindness, a 
serious unkindness, not a trivial one?” 

Mrs. Burton closed her book. 

“My dear Juliet, what are you talking 
about? Of course it is possible, almost any- 
thing is possible with human beings, yet it is 
scarcely the kind of affection one would care 
to receive. But now really I want to go to 
sleep, the music has ceased downstairs and 
I hear voices in farewell. The dance must 
be over.” 


CHAPTER XI 


The Same Evening 

R ELUCTANTLY Mary Gilchrist had 
joined the house party at the “ House 
by the Blue Lagoon” . 

After her arrival in New York for the first 
time in her life she had been ill, nothing 
serious at first, merely a languor and depres- 
sion which she could not shake off, and 
then a fever which persisted for some time 
in spite of every care and devotion. 

Never a day passed that she did not say 
either aloud or to herself that she would 
have felt scant interest in her own recovery 
had she not been living with the Camp Fire 
girls. 

After her father’s death she was almost 
entirely alone, with no relatives save distant 
cousins and separated from the friends of 
her youth by the years in France. Always 
she and her father had led a fairly isolated 
existence on their big thousand-acre wheat 
farm. Her own love of the outdoors, of 
( 151 ) 


152 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


boyish amusements and of the work of the 
estate, together with her father’s compan- 
ionship, had been sufficient. 

Shut up in the small New York apart- 
ment, ill and grieving, notwithstanding, the 
affection and attention lavished upon her, 
for several months Gill had found life diffi- 
cult. 

With the arrival of the cold New York 
spring she approached a better frame of 
mind, but still was without desire to join in 
any gaiety. 

Her one expressed wish was to be allowed 
to remain alone in the apartment while the 
other girls went for the visit to the “ House 
by the Blue Lagoon”. 

This they positively refused to consider. 

As she had been Sally’s especial charge, 
Sally announced that she did not believe 
Gill sufficiently strong to make the journey 
or to be in the society of so many persons, 
so she had concluded to stay on in New 
York with her. Sally was not easily dis- 
suaded from a decision, so partly to avoid 
this sacrifice, partly because she did not wish 
to be separated from her friends and was 
interested in Bettina Graham’s home, Gill 
finally agreed to accompany them. 


THE SAME EVENING 153 


The stipulation was that she was to be 
allowed to be alone as much as she liked 
and to take no part in any of the enter- 
tainments, unless she felt the inclination. 
No one would try to persuade her to do 
anything against her wish. 

On this evening of the dance, Gill had 
been undecided whether or not to leave her 
own room. At length the desire to see the 
beautiful old house lighted and filled with 
spring flowers and the girls in their party 
dresses brought her down to the drawing 
room. Here she was introduced to a num- 
ber of the guests and enjoyed talking to 
them, but positively refused to dance. And 
no one insisted beyond the ordinary de- 
mands of courtesy, as her black dress 
offered a sufficient explanation. 

Gill was not in deep mourning; her dress 
was of sheer black muslin, cut low in the 
neck, with a narrow edging of black net. 

She no longer wore her hair bobbed in 
the old, half boyish fashion, but dressed as 
simply as possible in a knot at the back of 
her head. 

The small claim she possessed to good 
looks, Gill believed had vanished alto- 


154 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


gether and for all times. Her color was 
gone and her animation and she had de- 
pended upon both. 

Yet to Allan Drain, who found himself 
glancing toward her with interest several 
times during the evening, she possessed an 
attraction he had not been aware of in their 
acquaintance at Half Moon Lake. There 
was a softer and gentler atmosphere about 
her. Her pallor, in contrast with the red- 
brown hair and eyes, had its own beauty. 

Toward the latter part of the evening, 
observing that Gill was so white that she 
appeared ill, Allan crossed the room to the 
chair where she was sitting alone at the 
moment. 

“Won’t you come out of doors with me 
for a little while, Miss Gilchrist. I believe 
you will like it better than indoors and I 
know I shall.” 

Then, as Gill hesitated. 

“Please come, I have not had an oppor- 
tunity to talk to you alone since our arrival. 
I want to tell you that I think I was a good 
deal of a boor in refusing to say I forgave 
you last winter when you confessed that by 
accident you had burned up the manuscripts 


THE SAME EVENING 


155 


of my poems. After I returned home I 
discovered copies of a number of them stored 
away in odd places. I am obliged to con- 
fess they seemed so utterly no account that 
you did me a favor by destroying them 
before they could be read by any one.” 

Gill shook her head. 

“You are kind, but I don’t in the least 
believe you. I told you then and I still feel 
that I would rather you would not forgive 
me. I have no idea of forgiving myself.” 

“Is it too far, shall we walk down to the 
lagoon? I have not seen it at night.” 

Allan picked up a white shawl which some 
one had left on the veranda. 

“No, it is not far, but it is probably cold 
down there, so put this around you. Isn’t 
this place a marvel? Any one who could 
not write poetry here, or at least dream it, 
could nowhere on earth. Do you know the 
story of the house and the island and the 
blue lagoon? I have made myself a nui- 
sance trying to find out.” 

“No, not as much as I should like to 
hear,” Gill answered, placing the shawl 
about her shoulders in an obedient fashion. 

“Originally the island was given by a 


156 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


special grant from the British king to an 
Irishman named Bryan O'Bannon, who 
had fought gallantly in his service during 
one of the innumerable wars. He appears 
to have been unlike most Irishmen and a 
man of wealth, or else he married wealth, 
because his wife was one of the sisters of 
the great Lord Fairfax of Virginia. 

They built this place and lived here like 
royalty, with hundreds of colored servants 
I suppose. There is no special story of a 
tragedy until the civil war. Then one day 
a boatload of northern soldiers landed on 
the island and took possession. None of 
the men of the family were at home. It 
chanced, however, that a young Confederate 
officer was on leave of absence visiting the 
girl to whom he was engaged. When the 
northerners surrounded the house, she hid 
him in one of the secret passages. The 
story goes that she was insulted by one of 
the enemy and drowned herself in the blue 
lagoon. The young officer, waiting her 
return and not knowing how to escape, 
starved to death.” 

Gill shivered. 

“Good gracious, what a tale on a night 


THE SAME EVENING 


157 


like this! No matter how beautiful a place 
is, nor how shut off from the world, it seems 
never able to escape sorrow.” 

Allan Drain looked more closely at his 
companion, whose expression was scarcely 
discernible in the flickering lights made by 
the Chinese lanterns, swinging like censers 
between the trees that led to the blue lagoon. 
The winter before she would not have been 
capable of a speech like this!” 

“I am sorry, perhaps I should not have 
told you so unhappy a story. I should have 
remembered that you have been ill and in 
trouble. I have not had an opportunity 
before to express my sympathy. I have 
been through such a lot of bad health my- 
self, at least I appreciate what it means.” 

“You are all right now, or a great deal 
stronger? Certainly you look so. You are 
kind to be so good to me. I was so stupid 
and disagreeable when you were ill and 
lonely during the winter in the Adirondacks. 
I seem to be one of the persons who has to 
learn through experience. Until recently I 
have always been so well and I am afraid 
spoiled. I hope I shall never be so impossible 
again. Tell me do you feel more interested 


158 BY THE BLUEi LAGOON 


in your medical studies, or is writing still 
your one ambition?” 

“I am ashamed to say that it is, ashamed 
because I seem to have so little talent to 
justify all the time and thought I give to it, 
when I should be hard at work trying to 
learn my profession. I often fear I am one 
of the people who shall fall between the 
two, a failure in both. I did not intend 
to be so dismal, but I have had a pretty 
severe disappointment of late.” 

“I am sorry, would you rather tell me 
of it, or not?” 

By this time they had reached the edge 
of the lagoon and stood looking down at 
the water, so deep a blue it was nearly black 
under the night sky with the stars reflected 
in its surface. 

There were few waves and only a light 
breeze; a small row-boat tied to a stake 
lapped gently to and fro. 

“ Would you like to go for a row? I am 
not a skillful oarsman, but I can manage. 
We need not be out long.” 

Gill hesitated. 

“I would like it very much, but we must 
be sure to return before the dance is over. 


THE SAME EVENING 


159 


I won’t be able to help with the rowing, 
I have never attempted it in my life. You 
know I am an inland person and never have 
spent any time near the sea until now. I 
never saw the ocean until we crossed to 
France.” 

With the boat untied, Allan helped his 
companion in and Gill sat down facing him. 

Neither of them spoke until they were a 
few yards from the shore and moving toward 
the opening into the bay. 

“Yes, I would like to tell you of my dis- 
appointment. I have not wished to speak 
of it to any one else, why you will under- 
stand when I explain the circumstances. 

“Last winter in New York Mrs. Graham 
suggested that, when I came to make her a 
visit in the spring at the 1 House by the 
Blue Lagoon’, I might bring with me the 
manuscript of the play, which I have been 
at work upon for a year and that she would 
persuade Mrs. Burton to allow me to read 
it to her. Of course with this possibility I 
have worked doubly hard until there have 
been moments, not many I confess, when 
my play has not seemed altogether bad. I 
have had Mrs. Burton in mind as I wrote; 


160 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


I could not help this, she is the only great 
actress I have ever known personally and 
in some ways the greatest I have ever seen 
act. I don’t believe I have been mad 
enough to dream that she would like my 
play well enough to appear in it, but I 
hoped that she might say a few words of 
encouragement, perhaps give me a letter of 
introduction to a manager who would read 
my play if she made the request.” 

“Well, what has happened?” Gill de- 
manded, leaning forward with her lips 
slightly parted, her eyes large and interested 
fixed upon her companion’s face. 

“Only that Mrs. Burton declines to be 
annoyed. Mrs. Graham did not offer 
exactly this explanation, but what she said 
amounted to the same thing. Please don’t 
think I am blaming Mrs. Burton, I under- 
stand her position. She sent word to me 
that she was very tired after a winter of 
hard work and that for the present wished 
to forget the stage altogether. She begged 
me to appreciate that she was not a producer 
of plays and that her opinion of what I 
have written would be of small value. In 
case she did not like my work she might 


THE SAME EVENING 


161 


disappoint me, when a manager might be 
delighted with what I have accomplished. ” 

“Yes, that is true,” Gill returned, “so 
why feel especially disappointed? I am sure 
Mrs. Burton will give you a letter to a 
manager, even if she prefers not to read 
your play.” 

With the peculiar despondency which is 
an attribute of the artistic temperament, 
Allan Drain shook his head. 

“No, if Mrs. Burton is not interested, I 
do not care to interest any one else. With 
every line I have written I have thought 
and dreamed of her as my heroine. I don't 
want any one else to play it, at least this is 
the way I feel at present.” 

In several moments Gill did not speak, 
while Allan Drain pulled hard at his oars, 
wishing to conquer his discouragement 
through strenuous physical exercise. 

He was surprised when his boat so soon 
shot out of the lagoon into the broader 
waters of the bay. The waves were not 
high and he rowed quietly and steadfastly, 
keeping close, as he believed to the shores 
of the small island. 

Still Gill dreamed on, feeling wonderfully 


162 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


peaceful and happier than in many months. 
She never had forgiven herself for her care- 
lessness in throwing the manuscript of Allan 
Drain’s verses into the fire in their winter 
cabin at Half Moon Lake. Now it was a 
consolation to discover that Allan Drain 
really had forgiven her; there was no pre- 
tence in his words and friendliness to-night. 
If only she had possessed sufficient influence 
with their Camp Fire guardian to persuade 
her to do what he so greatly wished! After 
all it was not so tremendous a favor, in 
Gill’s estimation. However, if Mrs. Burton 
had refused the request made by her hostess 
and most dearly loved friend, no one else 
would avail. 

“I am so sorry, I do wish I could be of 
service,” Gill murmured, speaking as much 
to herself as to her companion. “ Don’t 
you think perhaps we had better start home? 
I don’t wish to, I did not realize that I was 
so tired watching the dancing and being in 
the midst of so many people until you 
brought me out into this beauty and quiet.” 

“Yes, well I’ll go on only a few moments 
longer and then turn around. Once we are 
inside the lagoon we can reach our landing 
in a quarter of an hour.” 


THE SAME EVENING 


163 


When he spoke Allan was not aware that 
the wind was growing stronger and that the 
tide was turning and running out toward 
the sea. Neither did he realize the length 
of time he and Gill had been on the water, 
nor the distance they had gone, so swiftly 
and smoothly his oars worked, as the boat 
moved in unison with the tide. 

Ten minutes after their brief conversa- 
tion, in attempting to swing around, Allan 
discovered that he had a task ahead of him. 
To his surprise and consternation he also 
found that already he was fatigued. He 
had been out on the water only once since 
his arrival at the island and then in com- 
pany with David Hale who was an excellent 
oarsman. It had not occurred to him that 
as he had rowed only two or three times in 
several years he was not in training. 

Fortunately his companion was not aware 
of his difficulty and was remaining blessedly 
silent, so that he could give his entire atten- 
tion to his rowing. 

Allan strained and pulled, realizing that 
the wind was blowing him out of his course. 

A half hour he kept on without faltering, 
always with the intention of reaching the 


164 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


shores of the island and skirting it until he 
could discover the lagoon. And always his 
companion continued silent. 

When he had time to think, Allan con- 
cluded that she had fallen asleep and was 
grateful. 

If he could not get in to shore he was 
managing not be driven far out of the course. 

At midnight the small steamboat would 
call at the island to take the guests back to 
the mainland, who were not to spend the 
night, and with luck he might be able to 
signal them. 

“ Don’t you think you-had better rest for 
a few moments, Mr. Drain?” A quiet voice 
suggested. “ Please don’t be worried, I am 
not uneasy. At the worst, if we cannot 
reach the lagoon and no boat comes to our 
rescue, we shall only drift about until the 
tide turns. WLen daylight arrives we shall 
have no difficulty. I hate your wearing 
yourself out and wish I could help.” 

Gill laughed, a more courageous, gayer 
laugh than he had heard from her since their 
earlier acquaintance. 

“Why, you did not think I was asleep? 
I am not so stupid as all that! I did not 
wish to trouble you by talking.” 


THE SAME EVENING 


165 


Compelled to follow Gill's advice, resting 
his oars, Allan allowed their boat to move 
with the tide. Another half hour went by; 
at length both of them appreciated that it 
must be well past midnight and there was 
little chance of rescue by their friends. The 
small steamboat crossed directly from the 
island to the mainland and made no circuit 
of the bay. 

Without comment Allan picked up his 
oars again. 

“ I think I can manage to reach the island, 
even if we do not discover the lagoon before 
dawn. I have walked around the island 
several times and there are a number of 
places where one can land. We will be 
more comfortable than in this cramped little 
boat and warmer. Besides we are in some 
danger with the waves growing higher and 
stronger and the night darker. I am not 
going to attempt to disguise the fact from 
you, you are as courageous as I am, in 
truth you are more courageous as I remem- 
ber you. If you wish to have the score 
settled with me in regard to the accidental 
burning of my manuscript, I have accom- 
plished it with a vengeance to-night by 


166 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


bringing you out on the water and getting 
you into this difficulty. I only hope you 
may not be ill again as a result of my 
stupidity. But I must not talk, I have no 
breath to spare. Once we are safe and 
ashore I’ll offer my apology.” 

“Don’t worry about me. If it were not 
that the others may be troubled, and I trust 
Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Burton went to 
their rooms before anyone missed us, and 
if you were not wearing yourself out, do 
you know I could enjoy this experience. 
I am not in the slightest degree frightened, 
I suppose I am a kind of an adventurer.” 

A quarter of an hour after, Allan and Gill 
beheld a darker line of land and rowing 
closer their boat grounded in the sand amid 
shallow water. 

“I’ll carry you ashore, it will be simpler 
than trying to get in by any other method. 
Then I’ll wade out and drag the boat after 
us.” 

“I can wade, please don’t, I am far too 
heavy,” Gill protested, remembering the 
character of illness from which Allan Drain 
had suffered at the time of their first 
meeting. 


THE SAME EVENING 167 


As he lifted her from her place and her 
arms closed about his throat, there was no 
sign of weakness in her companion. 

Five minutes later she was seated on the 
dry sand, able to see the tall figure strug- 
gling in the darkness and drawing the heavy 
boat ashore. 

“You should have allowed me to help, it 
was not fair,” Gill argued almost angrily, as, 
panting for breath, he dropped down at her 
side with the boat only a few feet away. 


CHAPTER XII 


The Camp Fire 


N 


yO, I don’t need your coat. With 
the heat from the fire the white 
scarf is sufficiently warm. I am 
grateful to you for making me bring it along. 
I don’t think we had best sit still at present. 
You are so overheated, it will be wiser to 
cool off slowly. Do you mind my taking 
your arm? I am blind in the dark, blinder 
than most persons, and although this coast 
is chiefly sand there are a few rocks in unex- 
pected places.” The girl extended her hand. 

With a groan at Gill’s words, Allan Drain 
half arose to a sitting posture. 

“ Don’t be so sensible; I realize that it 
would be more intelligent to tramp about 
until we get rid of the stiffness from our 
cramped position in the boat and until I 
feel less like a wet blanket, yet the desire 
of my heart at present is to stretch out here 
by the fire and not to stir save to put on 
fresh firewood.” 


( 168 ) 


THE CAMP FIRE 


169 


“Poor woodsman, how long would our 
few sticks last?” Gill remonstrated. “Be 
a man; if you won't come with me I shall 
have to go stumbling along in the dark, 
picking up more driftwood until we have a 
supply that will last all night. After a 
time we shall probably be too sleepy to 
exert ourselves. It is rather fun, isn't it, 
playing Robinson Crusoe and his man 
Friday, when we cannot be more than a 
few miles from the house and the lagoon? 
At dawn we can reach home in an hour or 
so, but to go tramping about the island in 
the dark with no idea of the direction strikes 
me as the height of absurdity. I am sorry 
you do not like sensible persons, because I 
do try to be sensible on occasions. I sup- 
pose it is too much to expect of a poet. 
Come with me, please?” 

“Did you suppose I would allow you to 
wander off alone, even if I am poet, or 
struggle to be one?” Allan Drain demanded, 
feeling Gill's slender fingers close firmly on 
his arm. “Do you know it never occurred 
to me that you and I would be friends, but 
after to-night I shall insist upon it, whether 
you like me or not. Don't dare say that I 


170 BY THE BLUE "LAGOON 


do not like sensible persons, I never liked 
anything better than the calm fashion in 
which you accept our dilemma, treating it 
as if it were rather a joke, than a disaster. 
Do you mind if I mention that you have not 
once suggested that there might be any 
gossip, or even discussion of the fact that 
you and I are forced to spend the night, in 
this — in this — well, in this informal fash- 
ion.” 

Gill laughed and stumbled a little, her 
companion promptly assisting her. 

“Of course I have thought of it, but it 
makes no difference. This is no special 
virtue on my part ; as soon as we are able 
to explain, none of the house party will 
consider the subject again. Yet I believe 
I am capable of going ahead in this world 
and doing what I think right, even if people 
should talk. Perhaps I am mistaken, one 
really never knows about oneself. Isn’t 
that a log I fell over a moment ago? If you 
take one end and I the other it will burn a 
long time. Then in case any one comes to 
look for us they can discover us by the sign 
of the red flower.” 

“Red flower? What are you talking 


THE CAMP FIRE 


171 


about?” Allan Drain said irritably, feeling 
uninterested in further physical exertion, 
now that he had landed Gill safely on the 
island and had only to wait a few hours 
before they could row or walk home. 

“ Wait until I can tell you,” Gill answered. 

A few moments after, when they had 
carefully laid the old log, cast up on the 
island after voyaging upon what unknown 
waters, on the camp fire and stood watching 
the flames leap up into the night, blue, rose 
and gold, Gill added: 

“Did you not know that in the old days 
our forefathers called flame, the ‘Red 
Flower’? If by any chance the tribal fire 
died out they went forth, sometimes to war, 
to steal the ‘Red Flower’ from the enemy.” 

Allan Drain remained silent. 

Glancing at him and seeing his face lit 
by the glow, Gill was startled by his expres- 
sion. 

“You can’t guess what you have just done 
for me? Oh, it may not seem of importance 
to you, and yet I can scarcely explain how 
much it means to me. For months and 
months I have been trying to find a title 
for my new play and now you have given 


172 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


me the perfect title: 'The Red Flower’. 
It’s a wonder! The theme of my play is 
the flame of life that burns for good or ill 
in each one of us, and burns with greater 
beauty and purity in my heroine than in 
any one else. 

"Forgive me, to think of my daring to 
talk of my play and myself (for at times 
they seem the same thing) with you here in 
the cold and dark, waiting for morning! 
Shall we continue to walk, or will you rest 
for a little, while I explore. It is possible 
I may find a more comfortable place than 
this for you.” 

Gill sat down, resting her chin in her hand 
and gazing into the fire. She could hear 
the waves lapping against the shore of the 
little island and behind her the wind rustling 
in the trees. 

After to-night, surely she and Allan Drain 
must be good friends as he had stated. In 
any case her former prejudice against him 
was vanishing. 

If he were willing to believe that this 
night’s experience canceled the injury she 
had done him, the price was not severe. 

Gill looked up at the stars; it must now 


THE CAMP FIRE 


173 


be between two and three o’clock in the 
morning. She only could hope that her 
Camp Fire guardian, her hostess and friends 
were not seriously troubled. This thought 
alone made her unhappy, although she was 
beginning to feel weary and lonely now that 
Allan Drain had disappeared, if only for a 
few moments. 

“Miss Gilchrist, Gill, ,, she heard him 
calling, using her diminutive name in his 
excitement for the first time in their ac- 
quaintance. “I have discovered a tiny 
house an eighth of a mile back from the 
shore, a fisherman’s cottage I think it must 
be. I have noticed one or two of these 
huts when I have tramped over the island. 
It isn’t clean and it is pretty dark, but it is 
under shelter and if you will go in and rest 
I’ll keep guard outside until daylight.” 

Gill shook her head. 

“Leave our fire and the stars and the out- 
doors? Thank you, no. We will sit here 
together and you won’t mind if I doze now 
and then. See here, Mr. Drain, Allan 
Drain, when we met in the Adirondacks you 
did not like me because you thought I was 
like a boy. I know it is unattractive, but 


174 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


to-night suppose you try to think of me 
as a boy, as if we were two comrades who 
had met with an unexpected adventure, for 
which one was no more to blame than the 
other, and that we were both determined to 
make the best of it. 

“If you don’t mind sitting closer I’ll lean 
against your shoulder a few moments. If I 
am a nuisance don’t hesitate to say so.” 

In ten minutes Allan Drain discovered 
that his companion was asleep, this time in 
reality. 

Her red-brown hair having tumbled partly 
down — Gill had unloosened it, so that it 
hung crisp and straight to her shoulders — 
her pallor seemed strangely to have departed 
with the night’s adventure, or else her skin 
was warmed by the heat from the fire ; her 
lips, irregular in shape, were slightly parted. 

An interesting face, Allan Drain con- 
cluded, if not a beautiful one, and a nature, 
generous and faulty, which so far was not 
fully awakened. Doubtless she would fight 
valiantly for a friend, but might prove a 
formidable enemy. 

Gill stirred, and without being aware of 
the fact her companion smiled. 


THE CAMP FIRE 


175 


After the night’s experience would they 
be enemies or friends? He hoped and in- 
tended they should be friends, as he had 
announced earlier in the evening. 

Few girls, in his estimation, possessed the 
gift for friendship. And personally there 
was no possibility of a relation deeper than 
friendship in his own life for many years; 
whether as a physician or a writer, he had a 
long and difficult road to travel before he 
could expect even a fair amount of wealth. 

Now and then during the next few hours 
Allan dozed. Occasionally he would have 
to awaken Gill by rising and going forth in 
search of fresh firewood. 

At dawn they both opened their eyes at 
the same moment. 

A mist was rising from the sea, curling 
heavenward and scattered by light winds. 

In the sky there was an indefinite, faint 
glow. 

Later the clouds parted and Allan recalled 
his reading of the Iliad and Homer’s descrip- 
tion of Apollo and his immortal horses and 
chariot. Almost one could see them move 
across the sky trailing clouds of glory. Then 
the colors blended and day arrived. 


176 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


In the interval neither Allan nor Gill 
spoke after their first good morning. 

Finally Gill stood up, stretching out her 
arms, her face radiant. 

“Never shall I forget the beauty of this 
dawn, never as long as I live. I had not 
thought to see the morning come up out of 
the ocean. I beg your pardon if I seem too 
enthusiastic; please remember that I was 
born and brought up in Kansas and an island 
in the midst of the sea is almost as thrilling 
an experience as the sight of a new planet. 
Now I’ll descend to realities and go and wash 
my face in the salt water. Shall we walk or 
row back home? Fm starving, aren’t you?” 

“Then what do you say to remaining an 
hour longer and catching fish and frying 
them for breakfast? Perhaps I can find 
fishing tackle in the hut I stumbled into last 
night.” 

On the way to the water Gill called back 
over her shoulder. 

“Don’t tempt me, we must return as 
soon as possible.” 

“Then we will row home; it will be 
quicker and save the trouble of bringing 
the boat in later. Besides, how much more 


THE CAMP FIRE 


177 


dignified to row calmiy up the blue lagoon 
than to tramp across the island!” 

Gill rejoined him and was attempting to 
fix her hair. 

“ Sorry to disappoint you, but there is 
nothing to suggest dignity in either one of 
us at present. I am judging by your 
appearance and guessing at my own.” 

“Sure you feel none the worse for the 
night outdoors?” 

Then as she shook her head, Allan made 
no further comment, although conscious of 
the fact that few persons would have passed 
through the discomforts of such a night and 
on awaking make no reference to anything 
save the beauty of the morning. 

There were a number of other circum- 
stances Allan felt he would like to mention — 
the soreness of his arms and back, the stiff- 
ness of his legs, a general shiveriness and a 
sensation of not having been to sleep in ages. 
Yet in the face of Gill’s better sporting 
instinct he declined to complain. The 
freshness and splendor of the dawn had 
brought a physical as well as spiritual 
exaltation. 

Landing at the accustomed place in less 


12 


178 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


than an hour, as they approached the old 
house no one appeared to be stirring except 
the birds in the eaves. 

“Do you suppose by some good fortune 
no one has missed us? One scarcely knows 
whether to be pleased or chagrined. At 
least I shall awaken Bettina and recount 
our adventure. Good-by, I shall try to 
sleep most of the day and see you to-night 
I hope.” 

As Gill nodded her farewell, Allan left her 
at the door of the big house and went on 
to one of the cabins nearby, which was at 
present occupied by the half dozen mascu- 
line guests. 

By this time it was approaching six 
o’ clock and Gill discovered that one of the 
maids had unlocked the front door. Going 
in, she went directly to Bettina’s room. 
When there was no immediate answer to 
her knock she walked quietly in. 

Bettina sat up in bed, looking like a 
princess in a fairy tale with her two long 
braids of light hair falling over her shoulders 
and her nightdress of silk and lace. Not- 
withstanding Bettina’s ideas of service and 
devotion to the less fortunate, her mother 


THE CAMP FIRE 


179 


insisted, and Bettina was not unwilling, that 
she wear beautiful clothes. As her mother 
bought the clothes and gave them to her, 
Bettina had no alternative. 

“Gill, what is the matter? Are you ill, 
do you need anything? Why you are 
dressed in the same frock that you wore 
last night at the dance.” 

Bettina rubbed her eyes, becoming more 
aware of her surroundings, as Gill stood 
laughing and gazing down upon her. 

“So this is what it means to be ship- 
wrecked and spend the night on an island 
in the society of a poet? One returns to 
find one never has been missed.” 

“Sit down, Gill, and ^alk sensibly. Ship- 
wrecked? Island? Are you still dreaming? 
Did you not go up to your room last night 
before the dance was over and retire before 
the rest of us? When I found you had 
vanished, Salty told me that you had said 
you were tired and that no one was to pay 
any attention io you if you disappeared.” 

“Yes, I did tell Salty that and was about 
to depart when Allan Drain asked me to go 
for a walk with him. Afterwards we went 
to row for a half hour on the lagoon, man- 


180 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


aged to slip into the bay and, when the tide 
turned, were carried farther out. We dis- 
covered the island, but not the blue lagoon 
and were forced to wait until daylight. I 
am sorry, I realized when it was too late 
that I should not have gone, but tried to 
make the best of it and to accept the situa- 
tion in a matter-of-fact fashion. I am going 
to bed now. Will you explain to your 
mother and Mrs. Burton that Fll go into 
the details of our adventure when I am not 
so tired. At least the thing I feared did 
not occur, you were not frightened and did 
not believe the water had swallowed us up.” 


CHAPTER XIII 


The Following Day 

N OT in several years could Sally 
Ashton recall so trying a day as 
the present one, not since those 
fateful days in France when she had nursed 
an unknown soldier in a ruined chateau. 

In the first place, she was worried about 
Gill. Characteristic of Gill to insist that 
the night outdoors in the fog and cold prob- 
ably had been good for her; Sally was not 
under a similar impression. Devotedly and 
faithfully she had nursed and watched the 
other girl during the past winter, to discover 
that Gill possessed a boyish carelessness and 
lack of judgment concerning her own health. 

So in and out of Gill's room, Sally spent a 
portion of her morning, carrying in the 
breakfast tray, insisting that Gill, in spite 
of her protests, use a hot water bag to 
prevent her taking cold. 

At eleven o'clock again she tiptoed softly 
back, and finding Gill awake departed to 
( 181 ) 


182 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


bring a glass of milk, in case she should 
prefer to sleep on through luncheon. 

“I may not be able to come in to see you 
during the afternoon, Gill; Bettina suggests 
that, as she is your hostess, I might permit 
her to have a little of the care of you, so I 
agreed. There is something else I may 
have to attend to and you seem all right.” 

With a harrassed, even troubled air, 
unlike her usual serenity, Sally stood frown- 
ing, looking not at Gill, but out the open 
window. 

Gill stretched forth her hand. 

“ Sally, dear, what is the matter? You 
are not worrying about me, that is too 
absurd! You are a perfect dear and I am 
everlastingly grateful, but I have not even 
taken cold. There is something else on 
your mind. If you don’t wish to confide 
in me, why not tell some one, Mrs. Graham 
or Mrs. Burton.” 

Sally failed to lift her eyes. 

“No, not at present. I had thought of 
speaking to Aunt Betty and then decided 
I had best wait. Tante is absolutely out 
of the Question. By the way, she was much 
upset when she heard what had happened 


THE FOLLOWING DAY 183 


to you and Allan Drain, but after a talk 
with Allan is in a happier frame of mind. 
I was to tell you that she would see you 
when you were more rested.” 

Sally waited, as if trying to reach a 
decision before stirring from her present 
position. 

“ Gill, if there was something you believed 
you ought to do, would you go ahead, even 
if it made some one you cared for angry?” 
she unexpectedly demanded. 

Gill studied her closely. 

“I don’t know what to answer, as it 
would depend partly upon circumstances. 
But, Sally, dear, please don’t get yourself 
into any difficulty. You have been through 
a trying winter with me and are here by the 
blue lagoon for a holiday.” 

Sally shook her head. 

“I’ll do my best to avoid it.” 

A few moments before lunch Sally dis- 
covered Dan Webster alone on the front 
porch and went toward him in her sweetest 
and most friendly fashion. 

“It is nice to find you by yourself, Dan. 
You said last night that I had been avoiding 
you, which was not exactly true. I have 


184 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


had something on my mind and it is hard, 
as you know, at a house party, to slip away 
from the others.” 

Dan laughed. 

“Yes, Sally, but it is the very fact of 
your slipping away from the others that I 
did object to. Had you gone with me I 
might have felt differently.” 

Sally put out her hand, catching at her 
companion’s coat sleeve. 

“Promise me, Dan, that if I do some- 
thing you don’t like, you won’t be angry? 
You might have a little faith in me!” 

Dan shook his head. 

“Faith or no faith, Sally, I won’t have 
you trudging over this island alone on any 
kind of fool’s errand. If you do what I 
asked you not, I shall find it hard to forgive 
you. Let’s not talk of this; why not come 
for a walk with me this afternoon? We 
have not had a walk in ages!” 

“No, Dan, I can’t, I am sorry, but I am 
tired from waiting on Gill all morning and 
from the dance last night and mean to have 
a nap.” 

Then to Sally’s relief, Mrs. Graham ap- 
peared on the veranda and luncheon was 
announced. 


THE FOLLOWING DAY 185 


In the afternoon from her bedroom win- 
dow Sally saw most of the house party 
disappear. They were crossing over to the 
mainland to watch a drill at the fort. She 
had declined to go, but was happy to 
observe that Dan was with them and walk- 
ing with Vera Lagerloff, whom he had 
known since they were children. 

A short time after, making a pretence of 
keeping her word, Sally lay down on her 
bed for five minutes. Then she arose, put 
on a sweater and a small, close-fitting hat 
and unobserved went downstairs. Instead 
of going out at once, however, she slipped 
into the drawing-room and sat down by a 
window where she was almost completely 
concealed by the curtain. 

She sat there about a half hour. At the 
end of that time another member of the 
house-party appeared from a side door, 
glanced about her, as if wondering whether 
she was observed, and then started off 
alone, presumably for a walk. 

Not at once, but within two or three 
moments, Sally arose and followed her. By 
walking rapidly she might be able to join 
her; by loitering she might keep her in 
view. 


186 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


As the girl walked quickly and as Sally 
was not fond of strenuous exercise, she was 
forced to hurry in order not to lose sight 
of her. 

After an hour and a quarter of fast walk- 
ing the girl in advance reached the small 
fisherman’s hut which Allan Drain had 
discovered the night before. 

She remained waiting in the open door- 
way until a small boat landed on the beach 
and a young man jumped out. Then she 
ran forward to meet him. 

From her place of concealment behind a 
clump of trees Sally was neither surprised 
nor shocked. There was no question with 
regard to the likeness between Juliet Temple 
and her companion, plainly they were sister 
and brother. Then why did Juliet Temple 
not bring her brother to the “ House by the 
Blue Lagoon”? The question puzzled and 
troubled Sally. 

After all, she was making a mistake. If 
another girl chose to have secret meetings 
with her own brother, it was not her 
affair. 

Had she not always distrusted Juliet 
Temple and believed she intended some 


THE FOLLOWING DAY 187 


wrong purpose, never would she have pur- 
sued her present course. 

Dan must never learn what she had been 
doing, or he might be not only angry but 
disdainful. 

Sally turned and started home, sitting 
down now and then to rest. Having finally 
made up her mind to cease playing detec- 
tive, she was in a more comfortable frame 
of mind. 

Should Juliet Temple by any chance 
overtake her, Sally determined to confess. 


CHAPTER XIV 


An Interview 

S EATED on a log and looking out 
toward the water, hearing some one 
coming up behind her, not anxious to 
begin an interview which might lead to 
uncomfortable explanations, Sally did not 
turn her head. 

When some one called her name, she 
jumped quickly to her feet and swinging 
around, faced Dan Webster. 

Instantly her face grew scarlet. 

“You have followed me, Dan. I shall 
never forgive you. Deliberately you made 
a pretence of going away with the others for 
the afternoon in order that I might be 
deceived.” 

Sally’s words were harsher than her man- 
ner, for even as she spoke she put her hands 
to her hot cheeks and her voice trembled. 

Dan was looking at her as she never had 
seen him. His usually ruddy, freshly 
colored skin had lost nearly every vestige 
(188) 


AN INTERVIEW 


189 


t of color, his lips were set and hard and his 
blue eyes at once stern and unhappy. 

“ Certainly I followed you, Sally, I told 
you that was my intention, and you are 
perfectly right in your supposition that I 
tricked you by appearing to leave the island. 
I did this not because I really believed you 
would continue your secret meetings, but 
because I wanted to be convinced.” 

“ Secret meetings!” Sally exclaimed, mov- 
ing backwards a step or two and dropping 
her hands at her sides. “I think it is my 
right, Dan, to ask what you mean.” 

“Why, I mean what I said. How could 
I mean anything else? Please don’t make 
things worse by failing to tell the truth, 
particularly now when it is too late to do 
anything else. I have been tramping about 
for the past half hour trying to decide what 
was best. I am going directly to Tante, 
and I wish you would come with me, and 
tell her that you have had half a dozen 
secret meetings with a young fellow who 
lands on the island in an out-of-the-way 
spot, instead of using the lagoon where he 
could be seen from the house. Doubtless 
you will explain your reason.” 


190 BY THE f BLUE LAGOON 


Sally was silent, her face now paler than 
her companion’s. 

“Of course I know, Sally, there is no 
harm in what you have been doing, but you 
yourself will confess that it does not look 
well and that anyone who cares for you has 
a right to try to protect you from your own 
indiscretion. Who is this fellow? Is he 
some friend whom you don’t think the rest 
of us would care to know? And for what 
reason? I saw you stop behind a clump of 
trees and a few moments later his boat 
landed and I walked away. I did not wish 
actually to spy upon you. You must only 
have spoken to him, as it was a brief time 
ago. Perhaps you are befriending this 
fellow in some way; if you are, why not let 
me help?” 

“I am befriending no one,” Sally returned. 

“Then come with me to Tante. Perhaps 
you will confide in your Camp Fire guardian. 
I was never so disappointed in any human 
being in my life, Sally, as I am in you. I 
feel as if I were in a nightmare from which 
I must wake up.” 

Almost roughly Dan took Sally by the 
arm. 



I Was Never So Disappointed in Any Human Being in My Life, Sally, As I Am in You. 



192 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


The next instant she had broken away 
and a second time seated herself on the log. 

“Go and tell whom you like, Dan Web- 
ster, and whatever you like, and not only 
Tante, but Aunt Betty and the entire group 
of Camp Fire girls. Be sure to miss no 
one. Afterwards don’t speak to me again.” 

Hesitating, his sternness slightly relaxed, 
as whose would not have been by the sight 
of Sally, Dan took one step in her direction 
and then paused. Unexpectedly her head 
went down, the golden brown eyes that had 
been so full of defiance the moment before, 
filled and brimmed over, as she buried her 
head in her hands. 

He was under the impression that he had 
been sufficiently unhappy upon making the 
discovery that she was keeping a secret 
from her friends, but his past unhappiness 
was as nothing to this. 

“Sally, dear, I am afraid I spoke rudely 
to you. You know I was concerned for 
your sake. Of course I am not going to 
speak of the matter to Tante, as you’ll tell 
her yourself at once.” 

“I shall do no such thing, Dan,” Sally 
answered in a muffled tone. 


AN INTERVIEW 


193 


Dan appeared and felt defeated. 

Slowly he began walking up and down a 
few feet away, his head bowed, an expres- 
sion of anxiety and depression on his hand- 
some, boyish face. 

Finally he came and stood in front of the 
girl. 

“ Sally, I want to apologize to you, you 
must do what you think best. You asked 
me to have faith in you and I have not had. 
Good-by. I won’t ask you to walk home 
with me, but come soon, dear, you are tired 
and upset and ought to rest before dinner.” 

Dan was moving away when Sally caught 
up with him. 

“Dan, please listen. I want to tell you 
what actually has happened, I never wanted 
to tell anyone anything so much in my 
whole existence. I am afraid you will 
think I have not behaved very well, but 
you may scold as much as you like because 
I agree with you. 

“ Of course I have not been meeting any 
strange youth for any purpose whatsoever. 
What I have been doing is following Juliet 
Temple and I have little excuse to offer. 

“Soon after her arrival I noticed that 


13 


194 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


she slipped off several times alone and one 
day I followed her, partly from curiosity 
and the old distrust I always have felt for 
her. It is a curious thing, Dan. I believe 
Juliet is honestly fond of Tante, but I 
think in the end she will use her for her 
own purpose. 

“Well, Juliet went farther than I expected 
and I saw her meet some one whom I feel 
sure is her brother, as they look so exactly 
alike. Besides, I heard that he was a 
.soldier and most of the time he is in uni- 
form. It is Juliet’s affair of course and 
she probably has some legitimate excuse for 
not wishing us to know him, but I confess 
it troubles me. 

“In a way I feel I owe an apology to 
Juliet, but it might be more comfortable for 
us both not to speak of it. I was just 
reaching a decision to forget the whole 
matter when you interrupted and frightened 
me. If you doubt what I have told you, 
Dan, you can wait until Juliet returns and 
tell her what I have told you. I would 
prefer she and Tante should both know 
than that you should doubt me.” 

“But I don’t doubt your word, Sally; 


AN INTERVIEW 


195 


nothing would ever induce me to doubt you 
now or in the future,” Dan returned with 
more earnestness than his previous point of 
view gave him the excuse for possessing. 
“ Besides, now I recall that twice I have 
seen Juliet Temple not far away, soon after 
observing you. I am a dunce and a block- 
head and your devoted friend, Sally. 

“Why in the world do you feel this dis- 
trust of Juliet Temple? No wonder Tante 
thinks she has a hard time among you girls 
and appeals to me to be kind to her. She 
seems to me a tiresome kind of girl, who 
isn’t capable of anything out of the ordinary. 
She is clever enough to be a good secretary, 
or companion, or whatever she is to Tante, 
and that is the end of it.” 

“Think so, Dan? Well, perhaps you are 
right,” Sally replied. “Suppose we hurry 
home. I don’t wish to appear as if you 
had made me cry, although it is perfectly 
true that you have.” 

“Never as long as we live shall I trouble 
you again.” 

Wise in things feminine, Sally shook her 
head and smiled. 


CHAPTER XY 


Twisted Coils 

^TF you can finish, Juliet, without 
further assistance from me, I believe 

^ I will go and look for the Camp Fire 
girls. They have been so busy with their 
own affairs of late, I feel slightly neglected. 
Then do take a walk, or lie down, whichever 
you prefer. You have been looking a little 
nervous and pale of late. I would under- 
stand if you had been working hard, but 
we both have been having a holiday.” 

Mrs. Burton stood before her mirror 
making soft little pats at her hair, charac- 
teristic of all girls and women. 

She had on a house dress of crepe de chine 
in a curious shade of old gold with a girdle 
of brown velvet. 

“I can’t become accustomed to my 
appearance in this dress, Juliet. It seems to 
me I look rather worse than usual. I wish 
it were becoming to you so I might present it 
to you, but I am afraid the color is wrong.” 

( 196 ) 


TWISTED COILS 


197 


Juliet Temple made no reply and seemed 
scarcely to have heard what had been said 
to her. She was seated at a desk with 
several bills and a check book before her. 

As Mrs. Burton, preparing to leave the 
room, opened the door, she said in a low 
tone: 

“ Would you mind signing these checks 
before you go? One is for the rent of the 
apartment.” 

“Tante, won’t you come for a ride with 
us around the island? We won’t be long!” 
Bettina Graham called at the same instant 
from outside in the hall. 

“ Wait a moment, dear, and I’ll join you. 
Give me the checks, Juliet, please. What 
an abominable pen! Are the three all you 
wish me to sign?” 

“Yes, all for the present,” Juliet 
answered, gathering them hastily together 
and placing one over the other. 

At the same time Mrs. Burton went out 
of the room. 

“I don’t feel like driving, Bettina. I was 
intending to see what you girls were doing 
and perhaps have an impromptu Camp Fire 
meeting. We have been neglecting our 


198 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Council meetings of late and it is not a 
good plan, yet I know it is difficult with so 
many masculine guests to be entertained. 
Who is going for the drive?” 

“Oh, no one except my shadows, as you 
call my two small girls, and David Hale 
and Marguerite Arnot. Marguerite has 
been so busy helping mother look after the 
house she and David have scarcely been 
able to exchange a word, and you know I 
always have wished them to be friends. 
Mother said she would go if you liked, but 
not otherwise.” 

“Are the other girls here? I’ll find 
mother when she has rested, I know this is 
the hour she lies down.” 

“Yes, I think they are in the house some- 
where. I am not sure about Sally. I 
heard Dan ask her to go for a row and 
heard Sally decline, but she may have 
changed her mind, even Sally sometimes 
does change her mind — for Dan. 

“I must hurry, but if you pass my room, 
dear, will you look at the old English prints 
that father found and presented me for my 
sitting-room. They are so lovely I feel 
mother should have them, but she insists 
not.” 


TWISTED COILS 


199 


Bettina ran off down the stairs and Mrs. 
Burton moved toward the front of the old 
house, where Bettina’s apartment of bed- 
room and sitting-room was located. 

Coming toward her through the hall with 
a book under his arm was Allan Drain. 

“I beg your pardon, Mrs. Burton, if I am 
intruding by being up here, when I know 
this second floor is the feminine part of the 
house, but Miss Bettina told me I could 
get this book from her bookcase. I was 
trying to escape without being discovered.” 

The Camp Fire guardian laughed. 

“Oh, the situation is not so serious as 
that. You need not run away. Stop a 
moment, won’t you? I want to speak to 
you. I have been intending to for the past 
ten days. I am afraid you think I am 
unkind and selfish not to allow you to read 
your new play to me. I know Mrs. Graham 
tried to explain as pleasantly as possible, 
but the fact remains that I did refuse, even 
when she asked me and I don’t like to refuse 
her many things. I was tired; you see I 
have not acted for a number of years and 
the past winter was a good deal of a strain. 
Besides, I am the poorest kind of a critic! 


200 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


I want you to know that I trust your play 
will be a great success, and if not this, then 
the next one. It is a long and oftentimes 
difficult road you have started to travel, 
yet I presume it is like acting, if the thing 
is in your blood, you must keep at it through 
good and ill. Forgive me and understand 
my attitude. I am afraid I am growing 
more selfish as I grow older, but I don’t 
wish you to feel this all unkindness, I might 
have to say something discouraging and I 
might be wrong and then I should have 
hurt you for nothing.” 

Polly Burton held out her hand in the 
simple, friendly fashion characteristic of 
her. As the young fellow took it and held 
it for an instant she saw in his face the 
beauty and honor of a sincere and ardent 
admiration, not for her as a woman, but as 
an artist. 

“ Thank you,” he returned, “I do under- 
stand and I have not the least right to 
trouble you. You have been too kind in 
the past. The road is hard because I have 
my living to make and cannot afford to 
work and wait as one should. I only trust 
I have the courage to hold out.” 


TWISTED COILS 


201 


Waiting for Mrs. Burton to move away, 
his eyes never left her, consciously studying 
the slender j graceful figure, the small head 
with its mass of dark hair and the brilliant 
blue eyes, the mark of her Irish inheritance, 
yet of less interest than the long, too thin 
face, with the pointed chin and the irregu- 
lar, deeply colored lips.” 

“Have you a name for your play? The 
title is so important. I hated the title of 
mine last winter, in spite of its Shakespear- 
ean significance it was too difficult to say, 
‘A Tide in the Affairs’.” 

“ Yes, I think I have. Only the other night 
Miss Gilchrist, Gill, gave it to me by acci- 
dent while we waited for the coming of 
morning by our Camp Fire. She spoke of 
flame as ‘The Red Flower’. Do you like 
it, ‘The Red Flower’, as a title?” 

Mrs. Burton uttered a little exclamation. 

“Yes, I do, immensely. See here, Allan, 
would you like to compromise with me and 
allow me to read your play to myself. If I 
like it I shall tell you so; if I don’t I shall 
say nothing, so as not to influence you. In 
any case I should prefer not having you 
read it aloud. Most persons read so 


202 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


poorly and if they don’t, it is more con- 
fusing. I can get my own impression much 
better if I am alone and it is under my own 
eyes.” 

Allan gripped the mahogany post of the 
balustrade until the veins stood up on his 
hands. 

“You mean you really will read it? Of 
course I should rather you would read it to 
yourself. I should be sure to make a wreck 
of it. Yet I ought not to be such a nuisance, 
and please don’t think I expect you to say 
anything good of it.” 

Again Mrs. Burton laughed. 

“Look here, Allan, I know the artistic 
temperament too well to be deceived by 
you. You don’t mind being a nuisance 
one bit if you can have your own way, no 
one of us artists minds. And, my dear boy, 
of course you expect me to say your play is 
good; if you did not, you would never allow 
me to look at it. You expect this one 
moment and the next you are in utter 
despair because you are convinced it is the 
poorest play ever written or conceived. 

“I’ll do my best for you, only you must 
not worry if I am rather a time getting at 


TWISTED COILS 


203 


it. I must rest and forget the theater for 
a little longer.” 

“I shall wait forever, if you desire and 
be everlastingly grateful always,” Allan 
said so fervently that Polly Burton, recall- 
ing her own youth had an emotion of sym- 
pathy and determined not to keep him 
waiting for her judgment for any great 
length of time.” 

Bettina’s sitting-room door was open and 
the moment after she went in and stood 
looking about the room. 

Youth was always hard to understand, 
even if it understood itself, which it never 
does. 

Here was Bettina’s little apartment as 
exquisite as any girl could dream of, or 
desire. The rugs were of a wonderful blue, 
the color she loved best, the walls more 
lightly colored, the furniture not the mas- 
sive mahogany of most old southern houses, 
but of an English design, the famous 
Chippendale. Outside her windows Bet- 
tina had a view of the blue lagoon and the 
wider bay beyond. Yet she preferred to 
leave all this beauty and luxury and spend 
her life in the slums. 


204 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“Well, life is only an expression of human 
personality, and if Bettina is in earnest, she 
has the right to do what she wishes,” Mrs. 
Burton thought, as she picked up one of 
the prints Bettina had asked her to examine. 

As she stood holding it in her hand she 
heard Alice Ashton and Vera Lagerloff 
talking together in the adjoining room with 
the door between partly open. 

“Don’t you think, Vera, that one or the 
other of us should go at once to Aunt Pa- 
tricia? I know she said neither of us was 
to come, but that does not alter our respon- 
sibility. She must need some one.” 

Mrs. Burton put down the picture she 
scarcely had seen and took a step forward, 
then paused. 

“It is so impossible to think of Aunt 
Patricia as poor, isn’t it? Ever since we 
have known her she has been lavishing her 
wealth in every direction, upon every one 
except herself. It is like her now to declare 
that she has paid the rent of our little New 
York apartment for a year and that we are 
not to think of making any changes before 
then. Don’t you suppose we can persuade 
her to come and live with us for the present 


TWISTED COILS 


205 


at least until she decides what she wishes 
to do permanently ?” Vera suggested. 

“Yes, but Aunt Patricia insists she is 
going to find work, that at last she is glad 
she never has had a gray hair. She seems 
really not to be so unhappy over the situa- 
tion as we are for her. Her only fear 
apparently is that we shall take Tante into 
our confidence concerning her. And frankly 
this makes me uncomfortable! I think 
Tante should be told. But I shall leave 
you to talk the matter over with Aunt 
Betty. I am going to Boston in the morn- 
ing. I shall see father and mother and ask 
them to go with me to Aunt Patricia’s 
house, it is just outside of town. Then we 
can face the situation together.” 

“An excellent idea, Alice, but I shall go 
in your place. I have just overheard what 
you and Vera were saying. As you were 
speaking of Aunt Patricia and I think it my 
right to know of her, notwithstanding her 
attitude toward me, I made no effort not 
to hear. 

“Now, please tell me in detail so far as 
you know what has occurred. ” 

An instant Alice Ashton hesitated, but 


206 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


there was something in her Camp Fire 
guardian’s manner and expression that com- 
manded obedience. Very seldom in her 
life had she assumed this attitude, when 
she did, no one dreamed of opposing her. 

“Why, yes, Tante, I’ll tell you and am 
very glad to be relieved of the responsibility. 
This morning unexpectedly Vera and I 
received a long letter from Aunt Patricia. 
We had not heard in several weeks. In 
the letter she explains that she had been 
intending to write for some time, but was 
waiting until she understood more definitely 
what condition her affairs were in. She 
stated that she had known for some time 
that she had been spending too much 
money and had drawn upon her capital, as 
well as using her entire income. Her 
lawyer has told her several times that she 
must retrench, but being Aunt Patricia she 
had paid no attention to him. Well, the 
climax came when Aunt Patricia learned 
that the home she is erecting for war orphans 
in France is to cost double what she had 
expected it would cost. The fault has been 
chiefly her own; she has been adding all 
kinds of things, playgrounds and an out- 


TWISTED COILS 


207 


door school and a specially fitted-up hos- 
pital for the children in a separate building. 
You may know more than I do about it. 

“When she went to her lawyers with the 
information that she required twice the 
sum she originally told them to raise, they 
declared this could not be accomplished 
without leaving her virtually penniless. 
She too had been buying oil stock like the 
rest of the world, hoping to gain more 
money for her orphans and the stock had 
turned out to be worthless. 

“Aunt Patricia does not seem to care a 
great deal. She announces that she has 
secured the necessary money for her war 
orphans and the building will be completed 
with all the recent improvements. She 
apologizes because she will not have the 
money to allow Vera and me continue our 
college course when this year is over. 
Neither will she be able to keep up her 
place in Boston, but this is incidental.” 

“Oh, that will make no special difference 
to Aunt Patricia, as she never has been 
fond of the place. It was her brother’s 
home and they were very different charac- 
ters. She will live with me in the future.” 


208 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


Observing Vera and Alice exchange a 
glance, Mrs. Burton smiled. 

“You don’t believe she will consent to 
this, do you, considering the fact that she 
has declined to speak to me for nearly a 
year? Nevertheless I assure you she will. 
It is not worth while for you to accompany 
me, Alice; I prefer to go to Boston alone. 
I shall bring Aunt Patricia here until we 
make our summer plans. I must find Mrs. 
Graham now and learn whether Aunt Pa- 
tricia has written her. Good-by.” 

A moment later the two friends met face 
to face. 

“I have been looking for you in your 
own room, Polly. Come into my room, 
won’t you? I have just received a sur- 
prising letter from Aunt Patricia in which 
she insists I am not to confide her misfor- 
tune to you. This is nonsense, when you 
are the one person in the world who can 
give her the affection and help she requires. 
I don’t believe Aunt Patricia will care par- 
ticularly for the loss of her fortune if the 
loss restores you to her.” 

“Thank you, Betty, dear, you need feel 
no anxiety. Now that I may be able to do 


TWISTED COILS 


209 


something for Aunt Patricia, and not accept 
everything from|her, I have not the least 
idea of permitting her to behave in her old, 
obstinate, absurd fashion. Thank good- 
ness, we shall be friends soon again; no one 
dreams how much I have missed her during 
this past winter !” 

“You don’t think Aunt Patricia will 
refuse to see you?” 

Polly Burton shook her head. 

“I don’t care in the least if she does 
refuse at first. There are occasions, Betty, 
dear, when you know I can be as obstinate 
a woman as Aunt Patricia Lord. I shall 
be away about five days. You will let me 
bring her back with me?” 


14 


CHAPTER XVI 


The Disappearance 

** yULIET TEMPLE has not returned, 
I Sally. Mother feels uneasy and 

** told me to ask if you knew any- 
thing of her plans. We feel especially 
responsible now that Tante is away, as she 
made it a point that we were to look after 
Juliet while she was gone and see that she 
was not lonely.” 

“Why, what has happened, Bettina?” 
Sally inquired serenely. “I am sure you 
have been more than attentive for the past 
few days.” 

The long twilights were beginning and 
with dinner over, Sally and Dan were sit- 
ting in the hammock under the linden 
trees, one of Sally’s favorite resorts. 

The other members of the house party 
were in the garden, where already a few 
tiny spears were appearing from seeds 
planted but a brief time ago, so swift had 
been the arrival of the heat that of late 
( 210 ) 


THE DISAPPEARANCE 211 


there had been days more like summer 
than spring. 

“Well, perhaps Juliet was so bored with 
my society that she has preferred to run 
away. She told mother this morning that 
she wished to go to the mainland on the 
early boat and would be away all day. 
Mother made a point of making her promise 
to return in the afternoon. But now the 
last boat has come and gone and there is no 
chance of her reaching the island until to- 
morrow, unless some friend brings her 
across, which does not seem probable. We 
might go over in the motor launch and 
search for her, but discovering her would 
be another matter.” 

“Didn’t Juliet intend to spend the night 
away from the island?” Sally inquired. 
“Otherwise why did she take her suit case? 
I saw her starting off with it.” 

“She wished to bring back her pur- 
chases and said she thought this would be 
the simplest method of carrying them. I 
declare I don’t know what we ought to do. 
I would not for a great deal have Juliet in 
any difficulty; the very fact that Tante 
thinks we do not like her would make me 


212 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


more uncomfortable if matters have gone 
wrong.” 

“Is there anything I can do to be use- 
ful?” Dan asked. “Tell Aunt Betty that 
of course I am at her service.” 

. There was in Dan’s manner a constraint 
that puzzled Bettina, while Sally con- 
tinued to rock idly to and fro, Dan having 
risen on Bettina’s arrival. 

“You seem remarkably uninterested,” 
Sally,” she declared with unusual irritabil- 
ity, since ordinarily Bettina possessed a 
fine self-control. 

“Sorry,” Sally answered calmly, “but 
you see, my dear, I have a conviction that 
Juliet Temple is well able to take care of 
herself. Suppose we walk to the house, 
so that Dan may ask Aunt Betty if she 
wishes him to do anything in the matter. 

“You and I might go up to Juliet’s room 
and investigate. Endeavor to discover if 
she has taken any of her belongings which 
might give one the idea that she planned to 
be away over night.” 

“Oh, very well, Sally, although it seems 
unnecessary. If Juliet wished to remain 
away who would or could have objected, 


THE DISAPPEARANCE 213 


so what possible reason for secrecy? Being 
a determined person, however, perhaps I 
had best do as you say. 

“Dan, you will find mother in the draw- 
ing-room. Ask her to take no steps until 
Sally and I report any discovery we may 
make. Has it ever occurred to you that 
Sally is under the impression she has a gift 
for detective work?” 

Her speech was a perfectly idle one, so 
Bettina was puzzled to observe Sally blush 
uncomfortably and lower her eyes, while 
Dan said “No” in an annoyed tone. 

Ten minutes after, the two girls were 
standing facing each other in Juliet Temple’s 
room, which adjoined Mrs. Burton’s larger 
one. 

“Really, Sally dear, I do not like to peer 
into Juliet’s private closet or bureau draw- 
ers. Would you mind looking first, since 
after all I am her hostess and you are not?” 

Sally smiled the demure smile with which 
she covered a number of situations. 

“So, Bettina, you wish me to do some- 
thing you have an aversion to doing your- 
self? Never mind, I don’t particularly 
object and you do. Besides, the suggestion 


214 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


originated with me and if I am right or 
wrong, I shall summon the courage to 
confess to Juliet, although I shall not enjoy 
it. I shall tell her that Aunt Betty was 
uneasy and we thought perhaps she had 
arranged to spend the night with friends 
and used this method to find out.” 

So saying, Sally drew forth the top 
drawer of the mahogany chest of drawers, 
then a second and a third drawer; each 
and every one was entirely empty. 

Without comment the two girls walked 
across the room and together unfastened 
the closet door; not a dress or garment of 
any kind hung inside. 

“ Sally, Juliet does not intend to return! 
Why, I don’t understand, we have done our 
best to be courteous and she might at least 
have said good-by. I presume she has gone 
to Tante’s New York apartment. Do you 
think we should telegraph and say she is 
no longer here.” 

Sally shook her head. 

“Not for the present, but of course we 
must tell Aunt Betty and Dan and learn 
their opinion. Wait another moment, 
please.” 


THE DISAPPEARANCE 215 


Returning to the empty drawers, Sally 
began searching diligently underneath the 
neatly folded papers lining each one. Finally 
she removed them. 

“I thought it barely possible Juliet might 
have left a note for Tante. She under- 
stands that she is to return in another 
thirty-six hours and probably would wish 
to explain to her.” 

“Here is a letter, Sally, addressed to 
Mrs. Richard Burton and sealed with seal- 
ing wax!” Bettina exclaimed, having 
answered Sally’s suggestion by entering the 
adjoining room and slipping her hand under 
one of the pillows of Mrs. Burton’s bed. 

“I presume this letter does inform Tante 
why Juliet found existence with the Camp 
Fire girls by the blue lagoon so disagree- 
able that she could not endure the experi- 
ence during the week of her absence. Well, 
I am just as glad we discovered the letter 
and grateful to you, Sally, for the idea. I 
never have pretended that you do not 
understand human nature better than the 
rest of us, although no one would guess the 
fact except through long acquaintance with 
you. Juliet, I suppose, never dreamed that 


216 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


we would search Tante’s bed for the con- 
cealed letter and so believed it would not 
be unearthed until her return. I don’t 
know what gave me the inspiration to look 
there? Personally I wish Juliet had van- 
ished from Tante’s life for all time, rather 
than until the close of her visit to us. Let 
us go down to the drawing-room and make 
our report. I’ll bear the letter with me 
and see if mother thinks we should dare 
open it.” 

“No, I do not consider it wise to open 
Polly’s letter,” Mrs. Graham stated ten 
minutes later. “She is so unnecessarily 
sensitive about the girl, I don’t wish her to 
feel that we regard Juliet’s behavior as 
more than ordinarily discourteous. I am 
relieved that she planned her disappearance, 
so she is not in any trouble. Polly will 
decide what is best when she learns what 
Juliet wishes her to know. Put the letter 
in Polly’s room, please, Bettina, dear, not 
under her pillow, that seems to imply 
secrecy; lay it upon her desk where she 
will be apt to observe it soon after her 
arrival. Thank goodness, she will be at 
home after another day and two nights. 


THE DISAPPEARANCE 217 


She has been with me so little in the past 
years I begrudge the loss of each day.” 

Bettina sat down on the arm of her moth- 
er’s chair. 

“Is Aunt Patricia coming with Tante, 
mother, you have not said?” 

“Yes, I think so, I have had a room made 
ready, although in Polly’s last letter Aunt 
Patricia still seemed to be arguing the 
question. I never have had much doubt, 
however, that she finally would do what 
Polly insists upon. 

“However, the battle will not be severe, 
as Aunt Patricia is longing to surrender.” 


CHAPTER XVII 


The Return 

HE entire house party was down at 



the landing to meet the little boat 


which was to bring the Camp Fire 
guardian back to the “ House by the Blue 
Lagoon.” 

She was seen standing on the deck look- 
ing younger and slighter than ever with 
Miss Patricia Lord’s tall, gaunt figure 
beside her. 

The instant the boat reached the shore, 
after receiving an enthusiastic welcome, 
Alice Ashton and Vera Lagerloff took Miss 
Patricia by the arm in an effort to separate 
her from the others, while Bettina, Sally, 
Mary Gilchrist, Marguerite Arnot and the 
two younger girls, Elce and Maida, sur- 
rounded Mrs. Burton. 

Mrs. Graham seized the opportunity to 
whisper as she kissed her friend. 

“Hail, the conquering hero comes, Polly!” 
to have the other woman murmur: 


( 218 ) 


THE RETURN 


219 


“Oh, do be careful, please, Betty. Til 
tell you everything when we are alone. 
You don’t know what I have been through 
and how little like a conqueror I feel.” 

Then Mrs. Graham left her and sup- 
planted Alice by Miss Patricia’s side. 

“Don’t you think Polly is looking pretty 
well, Aunt Patricia?” 

Pausing in her long strides, Miss Patricia 
frowned. 

“ Fairly well, better perhaps that I expect- 
ed, but never so strong as we would have 
her, Betty. However, she is a wilful 
woman and it cannot be helped. It has 
nearly broken my heart, Betty, to have 
been separated from her so long, and the 
fault was altogether her own. Polly agrees 
that it was.” 

“Certainly, Aunt Patricia, if you and 
Polly feel this to be true, I have no thought 
of differing with you. Here is David Hale 
wanting to speak to you . Bettina and I gave 
our masculine guests the instruction this 
morning that they were to keep in the back- 
ground until we were allowed to welcome 
you. You and David are such old friends 
he seems not to intend to wait his turn.” 

“I insist that Miss Patricia allow me to 


220 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


carry her bag. I have seen her decline to 
allow Miss Ashton or Miss Lagerloff to 
touch it, but whether it contains bonds or 
precious stones I will not run away with it, 
Aunt Patricia.” 

Entering her own room, followed by Mrs. 
Graham and Miss Lord, Mrs. Burton 
moved quickly across and opened the door 
of the room adjoining. 

She then turned: 

“Betty, where is Juliet? I wondered 
why she did not come to meet me with the 
other girls and now she is not in her room. 
Is anything the matter?” 

Picking up the letter from the desk Mrs. 
Graham extended it toward her friend. 

“I don’t think so, Polly, although I 
scarcely know. Juliet Temple left here 
without telling me that she intended to 
leave; it was only a day or so ago and we 
decided it best to await your return. The 
letter she addressed to you will probably 
explain. We concluded that she was home- 
sick without you here and has gone to your, 
apartment.” 

“I am sorry, Betty, I am afraid Juliet 
has not been polite, when I especially asked 
your permission to allow her to join us. 


THE RETURN 


221 


“Juliet Temple has written me that she 
has forged my check for two thousand five 
hundred dollars and has gone with her 
brother to Canada. She is perfectly frank, 
poor child, and tells how and why. The 
fault is partly through my carelessness! A 
few days before I left Juliet asked me to 
sign a check for two hundred and fifty 
dollars for the rent of my New York apart- 
ment. I was in a hurry at the time and I 
believe took her word for it and did not 
look at the check. She tells me she had 
so arranged that she could change the 
amount, which she did at once. 

“Her brother was in the army and 
stationed not far from here. She has been 
in the habit of seeing him since we have 
been on the island. Juliet has always in- 
sisted that he was the one person in the 
world she cared for and that he had given 
her nothing but sorrow. It seems that he 
has been committing a number of offences 
and expected to be court-martialed, but 
instead of submitting, had planned to desert. 
For his sake Juliet appears to have lost all 
sense of honor or duty toward me. She 
seems convinced that I will not prosecute 


222 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


her. She tells me she was leaving immedi- 
ately for New York, where she will have 
the check cashed (she is in the habit of 
cashing my checks). Afterwards, she and 
her brother intend to make their home in 
Canada and never return to the United 
States! A pretty desperate situation, isn’t 
it?” 

“Yes, Polly, but I’ll telegraph to An- 
thony in Washington and, if it can be 
accomplished, he will see that the girl is 
found and brought back. I am so dis- 
tressed for you, it is such a large sum of 
money and you have trusted the girl so 
completely.” 

“Yes, Betty, but I don’t want Juliet 
found and punished. I have no right to 
feel or behave like this and every one of 
you must say exactly what you like to me. 
I know I am absolutely wrong and that she 
ought to be made to suffer the legal penalty, 
but I simply haven’t the force of character 
or the courage. I could not endure to 
think of a girl who has been so near me, 
who has lived as a member of my family 
and been good to me in many small ways, 
shut up in prison for the rest of her youth.” 


THE RETURN 223 

“Yes, Polly I know, let us not talk of 
this now. Painful as it is, you cannot 
allow yourself to be so sentimental and 
cowardly, dear! Besides, the money is a 
great deal more than you and Richard can 
possibly afford to lose!” 

“Goodness, I had forgotten that! It is 
not only more than we can afford to lose, it is 
nearly all the money we possess at present. 
Juliet must have known. We saved from 
the amount I earned last winter only what 
we thought sufficient to last through the 
summer, until I returned to work in the 
autumn; the rest Richard has devoted to 
the payments he and I feel called upon to 
make.” 

“Yes, and a nice time, Polly Burton, for 
you to assume the added responsibility of 
an old woman to support !” Miss Patricia 
said harshly. 

“Do you think, Aunt Patricia, that this 
is the time for you to say unkind things to 
me? Don’t you think I have a good deal 
to bear and that you might not make it 
harder? ” 

Too overcome to speak, Miss Patricia 
nodded and actually two tears rolled un- 
checked down her gaunt cheeks. 


224 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“I am afraid Richard will be terribly 
worried and annoyed over my careless- 
ness/’ Mrs. Burton said childishly. 

“ Richard Burton! Let him dare utter a 
word! Who was it brought that unpleas- 
ant girl, whom I never liked at any time, 
into our home at Half Moon Lake? I 
remember his saying something or other 
about being a knight errant!” Miss Pa- 
tricia snorted, and the girls, Polly Burton 
and Betty Graham broke into hysterical 
laughter that saved the situation. 

“I fear that from the first Juliet Temple 
realized that I was an easy person to deceive. 
In her letter she also confides the fact that 
when she told me she had been wrongfully 
accused in her office in Washington, she 
did this in order that I might be impressed 
with the idea that she would not have 
confessed had she been guilty.* Well, at 
least I rejoice that you girls were never 
deceived by her and that Juliet was never 
a member of our Sunrise Camp Fire. Let 
us speak of her as little as possible in the 
future.” 

“And Polly, you are not to worry over 

* See “Camp Fire Girls at Half Moon Lake.” 


THE RETURN 


225 


money; of course Anthony and I are not 
rich, but you may have anything that we 
possess. Why not make me the happiest 
of human beings and you and Aunt Pa- 
tricia and Richard spend the summer here 
with me in the ‘ House by the Blue Lagoon ’? 
You may do whatever you wish and we’ll 
not trouble you,” Mrs. Graham urged. 

“You are an angel, Betty, but Aunt 
Patricia and Richard and I must hide some- 
where where I can work and study, if I can 
find a play for next winter. Now may I 
lie down for a little while?” 

A few moments later, in Miss Patricia’s 
bedroom, she and her hostess continued the 
discussion. 

“What do you think, Aunt Patricia? 
Ought we allow Polly to permit this girl to 
go free, in spite of her deceit and treachery?” 

“I don’t know what else is possible, 
Betty. Polly is wrong, she nearly always 
is wrong, and yet to punish the girl would 
have a most disastrous effect upon her. 
There is a sweetness about her and a gen- 
erosity; Polly has been most generous and 
sweet to me, Betty, when I have behaved 
very badly and so I would not care to in- 


15 


226 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


fluence her, if I could, to be severe upon 
any one else.” 

“Don’t, Aunt Patricia, speak of yourself 
in any such connection! But about the 
money, Polly will never allow us to help 
her. She never would accept anything 
from anyone save you, and now you can 
no longer afford to help.” 

A moment Miss Patricia sat crumpling 
a large, masculine-looking handkerchief in 
her capable hands, while a flush spread 
over her face that amazed her companion. 

“Betty Graham, I desire to make a con- 
fession to you and to request you to keep 
my secret until such time as I may be 
willing to speak of it myself. The truth is 
I am not so poor as I have allowed you and 
Polly and the Camp Fire girls to believe. 
I have lost money, my home for French 
orphans is costing twice the amount I had 
expected it would cost, and I have found 
it an excellent arrangement to rent my 
house near Boston and to live as econom- 
ically as possible, but I am not a pauper. 
Now do use your intelligence and under- 
stand why I have wished you to be deceived. 

“Apparently I had hopelessly estranged 


THE RETURN 


227 


Polly and had reached a point where I 
could not any longer endure being apart 
from her. Some weeks ago she sent me 
word through Richard that never so long 
as she lived would she accept anything 
more at my hands and that she had en- 
treated me to make friends with her for 
the last time. There are occasions you 
know when Polly can be singularly obsti- 
nate. So what was I to do? Appeal to 
her sympathy, make her believe there was 
something she could do for me. Mavour- 
neen, I knew she would fly to my rescue. 
So I sent out the word and she came and 
now I shall be parted from her no more. 
But, Betty, my dear, Polly shall never 
suffer. Do not believe that I shall fail to 
keep sufficient money to see she has all she 
desires. For the present let us have our 
little house and our summer together and 
Polly the belief that she is caring for me. 
I shall dread the day wdien she learns what 
I have told you.” / 


CHAPTER XVIII 


The Eternal Way 

The Eternal Way lies before him, 

The Way that is made manifest in the Wise. 
The Heart that loves reveals itself to man, 

For now he draws nigh to the Source, 

The night advances fast, 

And lo! the moon shines bright. 

“FUTILE y° u come into the garden 
for a farewell talk with me, 
* " Bettina? You know, I leave 
for Washington in the morning.” 

“In a quarter of an hour, David. I must 
see that my two small girls are in bed before 
I join you. Suppose you wait for me on 
the beach near the sun dial.” 

The night was warm and instead of sitting 
down David Hale walked about, thinking of 
a very different garden where first he had 
met Bettina Graham, the “Queen’s Secret 
Garden”, near “The Little Trianon” in the 
great park at Versailles. 

He remembered his own surprise upon 
( 228 ) 


THE ETERNAL WAY 


229 


discovering an American girl half asleep in 
the shadow of a group of statuary and 
startled into wakefulness by his unexpected 
approach. 

So their acquaintance had begun in a 
romantic setting that David thought never 
to find repeated. To-night he was by no 
means sure the surroundings were not 
equally lovely. 

The moon was rising before the afterglow 
had wholly faded. A light breeze made the 
delicate green leaves rustle on a hundred 
nearby trees, the magnolias were in bloom 
over the entire island, scenting the night 
air with their heavy, tropical fragrance. 

In the moonlight and the last of the 
purple twilight, David Hale was devoting 
little attention to these details. He was 
thinking with the concentration over which 
he had a special mastery, of something he 
wished to say to Bettina Graham and of 
how he had best say it. 

She waved a long blue scarf as she came 
running down the path toward him. 

“I did not keep you waiting long, David, 
did I? I am sorry you must go to-morrow, 
but then the house party will break up in 


230 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


another week or ten days and I am return^ 
ing to New York. After all, it is a shorter 
journey for you to come back to the ‘ House 
by the Blue Lagoon ’ than for me, and you 
know mother and Marguerite Arnot are 
always pleased to see you. I wish I could 
reach here so easily; for a number of 
reasons it is going to be very hard to leave 
the island, our island. I have a fashion o^ 
saying 'our island * over again to myself 
every now and then because it seems so 
incredible that we can own such an ex- 
quisite spot and that it is no farther away 
from the outside world. Why, except that 
it is not tropical, we might almost deceive 
ourselves into believing that we were on 
one of the south sea islands!” 

"Then why do you go, Bettina, unless 
you wish? There certainly can be no other 
reason and your mother will be distressed 
at your departure. It is so impossible for 
me to understand your point of view. Your 
home is here and no other place can be so 
beautiful!” 

"I know, David,” Bettina answered 
gently, "and yet I have tried so often to 
explain to you and to other people: beau- 


THE ETERNAL WAY 


231 


tiful as this place is and loving it as I do, 
yet my work and life are no more here than 
your own. You are going back to Wash- 
ington, David; you are very ambitious and 
some day intend to have a political career. 
Suppose this were your home instead of 
mine, would you stay here always? Would 
you give up your work and your ambition 
and your future to live in an island of 
dreams? 

“No, of course you would not? Then 
why do you think I should? Oh, I know~ 
the answer, I have gone into the subject so 
many times — because I am a girl and there 
is no reason why I should devote myself 
to social work, when my father is a man of 
prominence and some wealth and my 
mother all that is sweet and charming and 
popular. I am not going to talk about 
myself, only you do know my reason and 
you could understand my point of view if 
you would make the effort. Instead of 
caring less for my work after a few months 
of effort and experience, I care more than 
at the beginning.” 

“I am sorry, Bettina.” 

Bettina laughed. 


232 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“Why should you be? Mother and 
father are becoming more reconciled.” 

She and David had not ceased walking, 
now they stopped and Bettina leaned over 
the sun dial. 

“I am glad our garden boasts a sun dial, 
as it would not be half so picturesque with- 
out, yet the inscription is curious and taken 
from an ancient Japanese poem, which 
would seem to make it a moon dial and 
appropriate to-night, David. I can repeat 
it because I think I know the poem by 
heart: 

“The Eternal Way lies before him, 

The Way that is made manifest in the Wise. 
The Heart that loves reveals itself to man, 

For now he draws nigh to the Source, 

The night advances fast, 

And lo! the moon shines bright. 

“See David, even in the poem the Way 
lies before him , not before her” 

“There is only one way that I wish lay 
before you, Bettina, the way of learning to 
care for me. Please don’t interrupt me, 
this cannot be altogether a surprise to you. 
I think I tried to make you see how I felt 


THE ETERNAL WAY 


233 


toward you at the beginning of our ac- 
quaintance, although I did my best to wait 
until your mother and father had learned 
to know something of me and until you 
were older. I would wait now if you were 
not becoming so absorbed in the work 
you have undertaken that I am afraid you 
will lose all interest in me. My dear 
Bettina, affection is the supreme thing and 
if you will only wait and have faith in me, 
some day I may be able to offer you a 
name and a future of which you may be 
proud.” 

Bettina shook her head. 

“ David, I am glad you said this to me, 
as I wish to be perfectly frank. No, I am 
not altogether surprised, yet I am going to 
sound as if I were unappreciative and un- 
kind. I not only don’t care for you in the 
way you desire, but I never could learn to 
care. I dread the whole thought of romance 
and sincerely hope it may never come into 
my life. I have my work and my family and 
friends and please never speak of this again.” 

“But if it should come, Bettina, when 
you are older and wiser and less self-ab- 
sorbed, would I, could I have any chance 
with you then?” 


234 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


“No, David Hale, never; from the first 
I have never wanted you to be anything 
but my friend. Please let me say good-by 
and good luck to you. There is some one 
else in the garden and I am afraid we 
might be overheard.” 

“Good-night, and good-by for a long 
time, Bettina. I am sorry to have troubled 
you.” 

As Bettina ran on, Robert Burton stepped 
in front of her. 

“You are not going indoors on a night 
like this, Miss Graham! Why not stay 
and talk to me for a while? I don’t know 
what the other fellow has done to make 
you in such haste, but I shall try to be 
more agreeable. You have been very kind 
to have asked me here, but I have seen less 
of my hostess than I counted on seeing. 

“Remember when we are back in New 
York you have promised to take me to one 
of your settlement houses and make me 
useful, if it is possible that an idle fellow 
like I am can be useful to anyone.” 

“Yes, no, thank you, but I must go in,” 
Bettina protested. “Nothing has hap- 
pened, but I am in a good deal of a hurry. 
Why are you idle? Please understand I 


THE ETERNAL WAY 


235 


don’t wish you to help with the settlement 
work on my account, not unless you feel 
a deep interest in the work itself.” 

“Yes? Well, that is one way of stat- 
ing the case,” Robert Burton answered. 
“Wasn’t I a good Samaritan when you 
were lost in New York?” 

Bettina did not answer, already having 
vanished up the path toward the house. 

At the same moment that Bettina was 
escaping in one direction, Mary Gilchrist 
was hurrying down the front lawn toward 
the lagoon in search of Allan Drain. 

She was a good deal excited and con- 
siderably out of breath. 

Allan appeared extremely comfortable 
lying on the bottom of the anchored boat 
with his face upturned to the sky. 

“Oh, Allan, I have the most wonderful 
news for you!” Gill exclaimed, giving a 
flying leap and landing in the bottom of the 
boat which rocked dangerously at her 
descent. 

“If you have, Gill, I think it your duty 
not to attempt to drown me before I 
am able to hear it,” Allan expostulated, 
straightening up and removing the sofa 


236 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


cushions upon which he had been resting 
and tossing one of them to Gill. 

“ Really, Gill, of late you have been 
returning to those boyish habits and man- 
ners which I found so reprehensible in you 
at the beginning of our acquaintance. 
After you have confided to me your thrill- 
ing information do you think you can sit 
calm and speechless in this boat for the 
next half hour? 

“I had escaped from the others in order 
to enjoy a little peace and solitude, which 
is so difficult to attain upon a house party. 
You may not have intended it, but at the 
instant you plunged into this boat I am 
under the impression that you destroyed 
an immortal sonnet. I cannot recall a line 
at present, that is why I feel so convinced 
it was immortal/’ 

“A thousand times I crave your pardon, 
Allan Drain. You know I have a fashion 
of banishing your poetic muse. However, 
return to your poetizing, I can sit here in 
silence for a half hour or more before telling 
you my wonderful news just as readily as 
after telling it to you.’ 

Five minutes passed. 


THE ETERNAL WAY 


237 


Finally Allan yawned. 

“See here, Gill, I think you might con- 
fide what you came to say. I have an 
idea that it is of small importance — girls’ 
secrets usually are — but it bores me to 
have you sit there with your lips tightly 
pressed together, as if the words would 
rush through otherwise, and your face white 
and your eyes shining. If any good fortune 
has come to you, Gill, please tell me. You 
know how glad I shall be.” 

“The good fortune is not mine, it is 
your’s, only it is mine also because I am 
so glad for you.” 

“Then let me hear what it is. I know 
you too well to believe you would try to 
deceive me,” Allan answered, as if he were 
fighting against a hope he dared not permit 
himself to hold. 

“It cannot be possible that Mrs. Burton 
has a good word to say for my play!” 

“More than that, Allan, she is very 
enthusiastic. Now do keep still and I 
shall tell you everything I know. The 
night of her return to the 1 House by the 
Blue Lagoon’, Mrs. Burton was feeling 
restless and unhappy over something that 


238 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 


was troubling her a great deal, and so was 
unable to sleep. She rose up out of bed 
and wrote a letter to her husband; when 
she had finished, as your play was in her 
desk, she picked it up and began looking it 
over, with no thought of actually reading 
it at the time. Something interested her, 
a line, or a character, and she read on until 
she had finished. When she lay the play 
down and turned off the electric light dawn 
had come. Still she remained unable to 
sleep.” 

“You mean she was thinking of my 
play?” 

“Yes, Allan, I do mean that, she was 
thinking of it, but she was distrusting her 
own judgment and determined to wait until 
a day or more had passed in order to read 
the play again before arriving at a decision 
or speaking to any one concerning it. 

“This afternoon she read it for the second 
time and after dinner asked Mrs. Graham 
and Aunt Patricia and me to come into her 
sitting-room. She explained that she asked 
me rather than any one of the other Camp 
Fire girls, because of late we have appeared 
to be special friends and because acciden- 


THE ETERNAL WAY 


239 


tally I gave your play its title: 'The Red 
Flower'. She told me I was to come and 
tell you how much she liked it before she 
spoke to you herself, so that perhaps you 
would forgive me for the loss of your poems 
a year ago. 

“ Allan, why don't you say something? 
What is the matter? I simply go on talking 
in this stupid fashion because you won't 
speak." 

“I can't, Gill, not for a moment, the 
wonder and surprise and happiness are too 
great. Now Mrs. Burton likes my play 
I shall be willing to consign it to the flames 
from whence it received its name." 

“ Foolish boy, do you suppose I believe 
you? I ought not to tell you this, because 
I was not given the right, although no one 
said I must not speak of it. Mrs. Burton 
wants to play ‘The Red Flower' next 
winter, if her manager thinks the play half 
so fine as she thinks it. She is to telegraph 
him in the morning to come to the island 
and give her his opinion. If they agree 
she wants to remain here on the island in 
one of the small fishermen's cottages, which 
can be done over, and study and work for a 


240 BY THE BLUE LAGOON 

part of the summer. There will probably 
be changes that must be made, so she wants 
you to spend a part of the time here if it is 
possible for you.” 

There was no reply, save that leaning 
over, Allan lifted the anchor. Then taking 
both oars he pulled rapidly out into the 
centre of the blue lagoon and onward toward 
the bay. 

“ Don’t be frightened, Gill, 111 not get 
into a difficulty to-night. This is the 
greatest moment of my life and I cannot 
sit still and accept it calmly. I want to 
feel myself a part of all this, of the water 
and the sky and of creation itself. Don’t 
laugh at me and don’t trouble to under- 
stand, only thank you and know that I 
would rather you had shared this moment 
with me than any one else. We are friends 
now, Gill, for all time, whatever may seem 
to separate us in the future, we must both 
recall this hour and the beauty and peace 
of the Blue Lagoon!” 




t 


000H5b& 434 


